People write because they have something to say, when they have a rich experience to share, or when they have ideas to clarify and record. Effective writers learn how to communicate. This applies to adults as well as children. Teaching writing is about building on the language skills that children bring with them to school. Pupils need a rich…

We, the two authors of this article, have used dialogue journals for many years: Pearly with primary school students and George with secondary, tertiary, and adult students. Below, we share our ideas and those of others about this valuable learning tool. In the examples from our students' journals, names have been replaced with letters. [This…

Reports on a survey of English, social studies, and science teachers about perceived and actual classroom writing instruction practices. (RL)

Five techniques used for college writing assignments to heighten student thinking and involvement in class discussion are described: study questions; class notes; triple-entry notetaking; freewriting; and class response logs. These assignments balance personal/constructive writing and academic/critical writing to develop active learning. Examples…

Offers basic guidelines for college teachers in responding to students' writing in the disciplines, with the central principle that teachers' comments should reflect their instructional goals for individual students. Suggests that fewer, more carefully designed comments are likely to be more effective than many unfocused responses. Examples of…

Presents a case study of critical pedagogy in practice. Demonstrates how the "ageing women" and their teacher in a writing class came to a better understanding of their own personal texts when they learned to distance themselves sufficiently to see the broader social and cultural patterns their texts reflected and constructed. (18…

Encourages caregivers to engage children in oral language activities that will help children develop skills necessary for reading and writing. Examines: (1) oral language as a predecessor to reading; (2) talking leading to learning; and (3) rich oral environment as a scaffold. Concludes with examples of oral-language activities for infants,…

Offers several ideas for making the study of poetry an exciting experience. Suggestions include reading the poems aloud so students can hear the varied sounds of poetry and feel the messages sent by the poet, reading silently for personal satisfaction, and creating and sharing poems. Lists questions that can precipitate and support discussion of a…

Describes an American fourth grade classroom from the perspective of a doctoral student from the People's Republic of China. Notes greater equality among student, teacher, and textbook in the American classroom than in the hierarchical Chinese educational system. Observes that, in their writing efforts, the American students display both…

Minority language students can be successfully taught to write through programs that validate the students' experiences and cultural heritage. Adopting an approach developed by Eliot Wiggington in the Foxfire project, a California educator teaches his Chicano students English composition by emphasizing the richness of family and community folklore…

Examines the nature of power over literacy (such as knowledge of print conventions, and experiences of participation in reading and writing activities) which children often possess when they begin school. Discusses ways in which teachers sometimes interfere with this power and how they can, instead, enhance it. (MM)

Several techniques used to enhance creativity in writing workshops are offered as potential exercises in writing and literature appreciation for French second-language classes. The activities include wordplay, linking poetry and narration, and story creation by computer program. (MSE)

Describes implementation of a whole-language approach in a middle school that has a majority of students for whom English is a second language. The transitional English program for sixth graders used high-interest, high-action novels in combination with a writing program and portfolios. (SLD)

Reviews research on reading and writing development, comparing the whole-language approach with the Montessori approach for teaching reading and writing at the elementary school level. Also discusses techniques to teach students how to write poetry and short fiction, stressing the importance of both freedom and structure in evolving reading and…

Discusses writing techniques and assessment methods used in an interdisciplinary writing course. Recommends freewriting, small-group writing assignments, and peer tutoring. Supports assessment by more than one faculty evaluator, peer feedback, and optional versus mandatory rewriting. (CFR)