Describes an experimental program in which remedial instruction in reading, writing, and basic study skills is coupled with content courses in general studies, biology, history, and psychology. Explains how remedial and content courses are paired, examines methods of evaluating student progress, and presents guidelines for program implementation.…

Analyzes George Orwell's 1946 essay, "Politics and the English Language," to develop an argument about compositional pedagogy and the nature of writing itself. Points out the dangers of promulgating only the "plain style" of language usage and the paradoxical advantages of combining classical rhetoric with radical politics. (RL)

A wide range of instructional methods for teaching haiku poetry is described: readings from a text, lecture on the background and structure of the haiku form, comparisons between modern poetry and haiku, examining contemporary haiku written in English, showing a film, and writing haiku in a workshop setting. (MLW)

A strategy is described that can be used to instruct grammar in composition courses and to reinforce grammar in academic courses, addressing both the problem of grammar theory and grammar application. The strategy is a checklist that the student uses to proofread his essays or other written works. (MLW)

Children learn language by using it in the habitual and repetitive actions of daily life. The question "How do children extend their spoken language competence to writing?" is explored through examples of stories dictated by seven-year-olds. (JN)

Suggestions on how to make English classes a positive part of the tragic experience of students reacting to the death of a classmate. (RL)

Explores possibilities for organizing a course around literature that focuses on the home and family relationships and discusses the appeal and benefits such a course would have for students. (HTH)

Presents a selection of literature on responding to and evaluating students' composing skills in courses and tests. (RL)

Reviews the objectives of composition within the total English as a second language curriculum. The limitations of popular instructional methods are discussed and the introduction of controlled paragraph rhetoric is suggested. (CFM)

Instructing a college class in remedial English can be a shock to teachers trained in specialized literature. To give such teachers an idea of what to anticipate, some common obstacles they will encounter and the special skills and attitudes they will need to be effective are discussed. (JMD)

Reviews three studies by learning theorists that suggest that learning to write generally follows a developmental pattern. Presents four assumptions common to these studies and discusses suggestions to improve developmental writing classes. (DR)

Provides a suggested outline for a teacher education course for writing teachers that emphasizes both rhetorical theory and practice. (MKM)

Suggests ways to help students enjoy the illogic or inconsistencies of English by comparing conventional usage of several major world languages. (MKM)

Reviews the importance of assessment in placing students in two-year college composition courses and describes the development of the objective English Qualifying Examination used at Northern Virginia Community College. Includes sample test items. (MKM)

Discusses the use of assignments that require students to write about works of literature as a substitute for taking literature examinations; reports results of a study of the types of literature-related writing tasks assigned in four schools in England. (GT)