Discusses teaching grammar to high school journalistic writing or sophomore honors English students. Discusses grammar testing and the need some colleges feel for required language courses. Presents four teaching ideas for high school teachers to help their students achieve in writing. (RS)

Contributes to scholarship on the history of business communication by examining Daniel Defoe's "The Complete English Tradesman" (1727-1728), a large instructional manual designed to prepare young tradesmen for success in the world of 18th-century business. Looks at the book's two chapters dealing with good business writing. (SR)

Describes a writing project in an honors business-communication class in which the student team became consultants to a health-care business, revising existing collection letters and creating new documents to meet the needs of both patients and insurance companies, in the process preparing proposals, reports, data analysis, and oral presentations.…

Presents a collection of examples of familiar erroneous grammatical constructions in a scientific context, and provides suggestions for improved sentence structure. (WRM)

Describes how the author uses the poems of Edgar Lee Masters'"Spoon River Anthology" in her developmental writing classes to foster literary discussion, build vocabulary, and teach a broad range of essay writing skills. (SR)

Discusses the importance of a good caption for action/reaction photographs in newspapers and yearbooks. Describes how to write a caption; gives sample captions; discusses the four parts of a good caption; and presents a caption-writing assignment, complete with pictures. (SR)

Describes a grading system used in a college composition class that shifts the focus away from letter grades and toward continuous student progress. Describes how it is based on a personalized, flexible standard that challenges each student's particular skills as a writer, and encourages real improvement in student writing. (SR)

Studies whether students who reread their drafts aloud as they revise compose essays that are stylistically superior to those of students who do not. Finds this makes a difference for students with adequate to proficient reading skills but not for poor readers. Suggests basic writing courses should focus on reading and style, besides principles of…

Argues that using evocative details makes for truly effective high school yearbook stories. Notes that the art of observation is crucial. Describes the difference between telling a story and showing it with details that will help the reader see and feel the story through these powerful images. (SR)

Describes some of what educators have learned about the complex task they ask students to tackle when they put them in peer groups to talk with each other about their writing. Analyses the work of one peer revision group and illustrates the complicated work that students can engage in as they struggle to justify their writerly decisions to their…

Argues that writing for the media is utilitarian (not formal) writing, and that slang is acceptable when it conveys meaning. Argues that student journalists need to learn how to analyze slang so they know when to use it and when to avoid it. Offers advice for teachers, and includes two exercises for students on slang. (SR)

Notes that student writers gain greater insight into the importance of audience by analyzing business documents. Discusses how business writing teachers can help students understand the rhetorical refinements of writing to an audience. Presents an assignment designed to lead writers systematically through an analysis of two advertisements. (SG)

Describes a strategy, useful in content area classes as well as English classes, which concentrates on using writing as a means of developing students' automatic ability to use basic sight vocabulary. (SR)

Discusses what a review should do, journalistic standards, and presenting a strong and consistent critique. Suggests other things to review besides movies, gives an example of success, and offers an exercise on writing a sidebar to accompany a movie review. Offers four reviews written by students, and a short essay about the occasional danger of…

Argues that children's literature is a great tool for teaching writing in the elementary grades. Offers a list of fine children's literature the authors use to teach specific writing and "writerly" skills. (SR)