Describes how a fourth-grade teacher made poetry part of the daily ritual of her class. Describes how students began to read poems, write poems, and love poems enough to work persistently at reading and writing them. Describes a poetry festival that the class prepared. Describes the many effects, both cognitive and affective, of daily poetry. (SR)

Describes "Grammar in a Nutshell"--a visual-auditory-kinesthetic approach to traditional textbook grammar, usage, and mechanics concepts. Notes that the idea behind Nutshell is that as the students slowly mature in other writing skills they can also grow in their understanding of how to use, how to handle their language, not only correctly but…

Outlines the internal usability review, a systematic examination of documentation to identify basic usability issues and solve problems. Discusses typical user problems and explains the review steps that eliminate documentation problems before they become problems for the customer. (SR)

Describes a process to help journalism students in feature writing break left-brain dependence and make right- and left-brain connections to enliven their writing. Adapts William Gordon's six "synectics modeling" steps: topic description, direct analogies, personal analogies, compressed conflict, new direct analogies, and topic rewrite. (SR)

Talks about the "writing from the heart" practiced in one sixth-grade classroom by students and teacher, for many different purposes. Describes instructional approaches that encourage such writing. (SR)

Offers comments, intended for writers of language arts education articles, discussing both positive and negative aspects of the writing that the editors and editorial board and staff of this journal have seen in the writing submitted over the past few years. (SR)

Discusses Online Writing Labs--World Wide Web sites designed to support students' writing efforts by providing easy access to electronic resources and online tutoring. Describes three types of these services: resource materials, online tutoring, and information gateways. (SR)

Discusses the literacy progress of an 11-year-old boy with deafness who had reading difficulties. Strategies teachers can use in the classroom are described, including using a variety of books, encouraging writing or dictating storybooks, keeping a file box of word cards, checking students' spelling, and using finger spelling. (CR)

This article is the second published case study using the method of reflective inquiry on practice developed by Stewart B. Shapiro. This approach integrates professional practice with personal concerns. Most of the article is excerpted from the transcript of a reflective interview with an instructor of writing at the University of California,…

Presents brief annotations of 11 books and journal articles (published between 1971 and 1996) useful to teachers, that address the teaching and learning of spelling. (SR)

Case-based in-basket exercises require students to master content as well as communicate knowledge to professional audiences. The combination of specialized content knowledge and analysis of communication contexts helps develop expertise. (Contains 23 references and an in-basket example.) (SK)

Describes a freshman writing course in which students practiced various forms of writing. Explains that students began by reading both a personal essay (Annie Dillard's "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek") and poems (such as works by William Wordsworth). Notes that students later prepared scientific research papers. Suggests that nature writing…

Competence as administrators and managers is judged in part by the quality of their writing. Twelve suggestions for improving writing are provided. A bibliography on reference books for the process of writing and a test to assess writing skills are provided. (MLW)

Examines difficulties that may be encountered when substance abuse counselors switch from academic to "popular" writing styles to reach lay readers. Discusses the dichotomous audience, the use of controversial words, and the author's mode of communication. Provides suggestions for writing style improvements compatible with needs of the commercial…

Argues that the context of writing improvement helps explain writing error. Findings imply that undue efforts by teachers to prevent mistakes may hinder improvement. (RAE)