Ideas for technical writing assistance and resources that are available to Purdue University faculty who incorporate a writing component into their courses are presented in this guide. Following an introduction containing the purpose, background, and scope of the guide, three main topics and their subtopics form the guide's structure: (1)…

One of the constants of professional life for social workers is the need to write. For this reason, the social work instructor needs to emphasize the development of students' writing skills. Such skills cannot be left to composition courses alone, nor can it be assumed that students will emerge from degree programs with sufficient writing ability.…

Noting that writing should be part of the instructional/learning strategies used in every classroom across the curriculum at all grade levels, this guide presents activities for using various kinds of writing in the content areas. The guide presents the activities according to the following writing types: (1) journal writing, (2) letter writing,…

Offers a variety of practical writing ideas that can help first-grade teachers encourage writing across the curriculum. (FL)

Discusses ways in which poetry and etymology can be used to capture and/or convey scientific principles. (JK)

Describes a campus writing program which has revitalized faculty morale and the quality of education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. (JK)

Reconstructs the process through which a student becomes familiar with new subject matters and unfamiliar rhetorical and linguistic conventions. Describes one writer's attempt to achieve "specialized disciplinary literacy." Suggests the writer must be able to integrate his/her knowledge of appropriate discourse conventions with a…

Provides a thorough review of the software package "MathType, Mathematical Equation Editor." Includes hardware specifications, a description of the program, and evaluative comments. (PK)

Eighth graders participate in a mock trial of the Boston Massacre. Throughout the trial, students are given writing assignments based on Bloom's forms of thinking operations. For example, they write argumentative paragraphs as verdicts, write essays comparing and contrasting issues, and agree on criteria for evaluating the actions of both sides.…

Reports results of a poll of faculty rhetorical values, student rhetorical values, and student perceptions of faculty writing preferences. Concludes that faculty members in all disciplines need to communicate their desire for clear language by responding actively as readers to student texts. (MM)

Idea development is a concrete skill that can be taught in a systematic way. This step-by-step guidebook provides educators in all content areas with the tools they need to help students think more critically and write with more fully developed ideas. The guide (authored by instructors with the Kentucky Writing Program) offers the…

This paper describes a simple instructional approach which social science professors can use to teach the fundamentals of academic essay writing to their students. The paper discusses the evolution of this alternative writing approach--the instructional problems leading to its development as well as the process by which a solution was identified.…

Many times, college students are exposed to the communication discipline solely through the basic public speaking course, allowing limited opportunity to experience critical thinking and writing within the discipline. This paper examines the importance of teaching critical thinking and writing skills in the basic course, encouraging educators to…

Lesson study helps teachers use collaborative peer insight and feedback about student responses to instruction to develop high quality lessons. Combining lesson study with collaborative action research, Ohio middle school teachers developed exemplar lessons in the four-column writing method and found that the method significantly improved…

Describes "Write Now," a writing-to-learn math and science program promoting academic gains and student involvement. Describes how students begin class by writing an answer to an open-ended question dealing with the previous lesson, noting that monitoring oral and written responses allows for evaluation of understanding. Lists criteria…