Developed in response to the heterogeneous student population of a two-year, open door college, a self-paced freshman English course at Brazosport College (Texas) still operates within the traditional contact hour and three semester hours credit requirements, but serves students in unique, individual ways. Students may enroll only if placed by…

A study explored students' dynamic use of various forms of reading and writing to learn. In investigating the relationship between learner initiative, literacy, and the ability to conduct a critical inquiry of a topic of study, seven college undergraduates were asked to direct their own reading and writing engagements enroute to composing a…

A longitudinal study examined the development over the primary school years of the writing skills of children from the time they entered first grade until they completed grade three. In order to identify the nature of the literacy-related home experience of these children, interviews were conducted with each child (three classes in all) as he or…

In addition to determining students' writing proficiency, holistic writing scores obtained through a standardized evaluation provide useful data in making value judgments concerning various aspects of high school writing programs. In a cross-sectional study using holistic scoring, average scores of groups of students can be compared, and the…

Addressing the need to develop an evaluation system that assesses the effectiveness of a writing program on students' performance, the Holistic Writing Assessment Program of Mosley High School (Florida) was devised to ascertain and document the extent to which improvement occurred in students' compositions. On a designated day in the semester, all…

Geography, wealth and density of populations, prevailing religious beliefs, and educational systems all influenced the evolution of educational tools and methods of instruction in the United States. Due to the practical nature of the early settlers, writing was taught earlier in America than in England, using quill pens and handmade rag pulp…

The document presents a collection of projects developed by teachers enrolled in a 3-week summer institute on teaching various curriculum areas to gifted students. Outlines of 11 projects begin with brief descriptive information on project title, developer(s), grade level, curriculum area, and project duration. The following projects are…

Four issues of a University of California, Los Angeles, (UCLA) newsletter by and for teaching assistants (TAs) are presented, with focus on writing, grading, undergraduate instruction, and plagiarism. Topics include: making writing assignments that are clear and provide clear grading criteria; writing with computers, writing by scientists and…

After a short introductory chapter to this literature review on composing processes, the second chapter examines research that covers the timing and content of planning, planning subprocesses, employing planning strategies, and instruction in planning. Studies in the third chapter are divided into two sections, oral and written discourse…

A study was conducted to determine whether students comprehend student-authored material more easily than the material of published authors. The Fry Readability Graph was used to estimate the readability of 8 published passages of 200-270 words, which varied from grade 5 through grade 10. The topic of each passage was listed and used in a 2-day…

Intended for high school and college literature instructors, this book contains materials for intensive semester-long seminars on the lives and works of three American authors: Ernest Hemingway, J. D. Salinger, and John Steinbeck. Each seminar revolves around seven papers the students are required to write and defend aloud in front of the rest of…

Today's students are presented with a confusing perspective on writing that, on the one hand, defines the production of a written text as an act that simply transcribes thoughts and, on the other hand, defines writing as in and of itself an act of knowing. Teachers confound the student writer's schizophrenia by reinforcing the "product"…

Although to speak of achieving the ideal writing center is to entertain a most romantic notion, there are steps that can be taken to improve the quality of a college or university writing center. The mission of the writing center, which may vary from school to school, must be clearly established. The organization of the center should be examined.…

Observation and investigation indicate that academic writing tasks are generally quite different from those required in standard English composition courses, with respect to both process and product. Writing instruction in English as a second language should prepare students for subject-matter writing tasks, focusing less on pure composition.…

This report describes the Special Sections of Freshman English for Poorly Prepared Students at the University of California at Berkeley. The development of the program is described, including the rationale behind the course, the diverse student make-up, and some of the teaching techniques used (allowing students to choose topics, peer editing, and…