The influence of Cicero on the teaching of English composition is slight and in all likelihood diminishing. Among Cicero's beliefs were that rhetoric is the highest of vocations, thought and expression have an essential unity, the question "How should I live?" is paramount, the ideal orator maintains a unity of contemplation and action,…

In 1977, to determine current conditions in the teaching of English, a questionnaire was distributed from the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) headquarters to a selected sample of secondary schools. Four populations were chosen for study: schools that had participated in a 1968 study, schools that had consistently produced winners in…

The purpose of this study was to compare characteristics desired by college English teachers in a composition handbook with the characteristics actually found in those recently published in order to help teachers in the selection of this resource. Data were collected through a questionnaire sent to 200 members (170 responded) of the Conference on…

After the historical background and the contemporary issues of freshman composition program evaluation are discussed in this document, six models for composition instruction are described (grammar and composition, linguistics, literary, essay, radical, and editing), and taxonomies for each model are outlined. These taxonomies are compared to data…

The purposes of this study were (1) to provide a method for the quantitative study of grammatical (syntactic) structures which is coherent, systematic, and broad, yet capable of refinement to accommodate details, and (2) to search for the developmental trends in the frequency of various grammatical structures written by students of average…

Intended to help institutions place their entering students in regular freshman English composition courses, the Test of Standard Written English (TSWF) is most useful to colleges that also offer alternate courses designed to improve students' understanding of the material explored by the test. The Test of Standard Written English assesses…

This booklet was designed for use with the textbook "Beginning Chinese," by John De Francis. It contains 23 charts, each illustrating a number of characters. The strokes of each character are numbered to indicate sequence, and small arrows indicate the direction of each stroke. (PMP)

The Philadelphia City Schools engaged in a four-year program to develop and test dual audio television, a way to help children learn more from the massive amounts of time they spend watching commercial television. The format consisted of an instructional radio broadcast which accompanied popular television shows and attempted to clarify and…

This initial step in establishing a program of educational accountability provides descriptive information to public officials and the general public about Maryland public schools. The Report presents the overall accountability effort of goal formulation and educational assessment on the State, local school system, and individual school levels. In…

This paper reviews a 1974 tabulation of freshman English programs made by the Maryland Association of Departments of English. Of 20 schools surveyed, including almost all the Maryland community colleges, 15 offer remedial courses, 18 have remediation facilities, and 15 grant academic credit for remedial courses. All of the colleges have regular…

Designed for use in grades K-12, this teacher's resource manual advocates the use of a language-experience approach and diagnostic-prescriptive techniques derived from modern linguistic theory for the promotion of students' facility in written composition. The program utilizes an individualized approach and relates writing instruction to speaking,…

A possible application of generative-transformational (phrase-structure) grammar to the teaching of English composition at the college freshman level is described in this dissertation, which presents a potential textbook for a course on language and its relationship to culture. Topics discussed include traditional grammar, the bases of…

One of a series of volumes containing units on specific themes designed for use in college freshman English courses, this particular volume considers various aspects of love and its emotional impact on people. This sequence is designed to help students improve in reading, writing, and oral expression by exploring the theme of love through a…

This thesis was a descriptive study of developmental writing programs in two- and four-year colleges. The following areas were investigated: identifying students who need extra language skills help; placing students in flexible programs so they can learn what they individually need to know; evaluating materials to teach skills; evaluating…

The content and organization of freshman composition curricula in Illinois public junior colleges during the 1973-74 school year were analyzed. The five tracks of junior college composition (transfer, remedial, honors, vocational-technical, and adult) were investigated, and data were collected about English requirements for graduation, tracks of…