Based on the work of a seventh/eighth grade school teacher and one of his classes, this guide provides teachers and other interested persons with step-by-step instructions for conducting research and interviews to publish a local history of the community. Chapters provide information on the following topics: (1) introducing the topic of local…

College freshmen, when confronted with an essay question using broad concepts such as "society,""freedom," and "progress," seldom clarify or define the concepts in their essays before expressing their opinions or solutions. Students who read without interpreting the concepts implied by certain words shortchange the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 27 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effects of sentence combining on the writing of ninth grade students; (2) issues in technical writing curricula and teaching methods; (3) the uses of…

The three articles in this journal issue focus on composition problems and alternatives. The topics discussed are compositional invention, composition based on students' experiences, and an oral technique for teaching basic composition. The issue also contains reviews of recent publications in the field of composition. (FL)

Arising from the Schools Council Development Project on Writing Across the Curriculum, this book deals with talking, reading, thinking, and learning, as well as writing, as these processes take place in secondary schools. Suggesting that too much of the writing and talking in schools is used to test what students know and too little used to enable…

The basic components of the basic writing program at Rutgers University, designed to prepare disadvantaged students for the core course in English, are a combination of reading and writing activities with as much individualized instruction as possible. The components include three courses, a learning center, and an annual workshop in the teaching…

The nine articles in this publication examine the integration of career education with English instruction and suggest techniques for teaching literature and composition. The following topics are discussed: steps by which an English teacher can guide students toward pursuing career choices while instructing them in English skills; a college course…

This handbook for high school English teachers includes sections on curriculum planning and course design, ideas for teaching English, and resources for teaching English. The topics in curriculum planning include course planning and design, individualizing, teacher-constructed materials, grading alternatives, aims and priorities, and…

Empiricists may be defined as naive fumblers, people who collect and analyze data in the absence of a guiding theory. A theory may be defined as an empirically verifiable explanation of phenomena that predicts behavior. Empirical research may be defined as scholarship that is public and is performed using entities measured in units that can be…

While the chapters of this book present a variety of perspectives, they share the common goal of redirecting and revitalizing research on written composition. The authors review research on written discourse and the composing process and raise questions regarding information and skills that teachers and researchers need to consider. The chapters…

Reading teachers should choose activities and experiences for the classroom that are central to reading. Although a sense of security surrounds the teaching of testable finite reading skills, it is necessary to choose language arts experiences that are not so readily evaluated but still are basic to reading. Listening instruction can facilitate…

The development of the portion of a basic skills test that would adequately assess the writing ability of entering college freshmen in New Jersey is described in this paper. The stages of the test development process that are discussed include the decision to incorporate a writing sample in the form of an essay on a specified topic, the selection…

The 17 articles in this journal issue focus on a response to the basics movement. Specific topics covered in the articles include the following: a definition of literacy, the meaning of the basics, the back-to-the-basics movement from a historical-linguistic perspective, behavior modification and the teaching of English composition, developing…

The five articles in this journal issue are intended for use by school administrators, and provide information on how to organize effective programs for achieving student writing competency. The first article discusses the development of New York State's Preliminary and Regents Competency Tests in Writing, analyzes sample student responses to one…

This analysis of peer editing techniques briefly discusses the following: (1) the advantages of peer group editing, such as the availability of a wider audience and writing models; (2) the potential disadvantages of grouping unskilled or uncommitted students; (3) forming groups; (4) using sentence combining exercises to facilitate trustbuilding;…