In this inquiry study, teachers will learn about the writing process and ways to improve virtually all facets of students' writing. Teachers will carefully examine their own beliefs about writing and the value of their own written literacy that can be modeled for students. Teachers will build professional communities in which they will interact…

The writing workshop has endured and even flourished in thousands of schools across the country because no other approach or program matches the writing workshop when it comes to growing strong writers. This guide introduces and explains the writing workshop and reveals how it can be a potent tool for empowering young writers. The guide aims to be…

When writing, few students have any concept that word placement affects the content of their writing. They seldom rework their papers at the sentence level in order to assure that their grammar reflects and enhances their content. Recognizing the relationship of grammar to meaning, composition researchers are reasserting the place of grammar in…

A study examined the effectiveness of a writing center in improving student writing. All Composition 121 instructors except those who taught in the writing center were included. Students (1519 were enrolled in 69 sections of Composition 121) and instructors were randomly placed into three groups: Group I, the experimental group; Group II, the…

This project describes a program for increasing student retention and transfer of weekly spelling words across the curriculum. The targeted population consists of first, second, and third grade students in a middle class community located in the Northeast quadrant of Illinois. The problems of adequate transfer of previously taught spelling skills…

This paper explains Bradley University's (Peoria, Illinois) neophyte Writing across the Curriculum Program, which has been in existence since December of 1997. Noting that the Program started with no outside money and with just a dream of developing undergraduate students' fluencies in their writing, the paper states that the goal was to encourage…

This list of year-by-year statements has been drawn together from England's National Literacy Strategy Framework for Teaching with a particular focus on writing. It sets out an illustrative set of targets for each year from Reception Year to Year 6 in different aspects of writing. The statements also take account of the stages set out in…

Without a simple, defined structure for good writing it can be difficult for an individual to be confident of his or her writing ability. The Six-Trait Writing Method, developed by Spandel and Stiggins in 1990 at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NRWEL), outlines how teachers could teach students "specific criteria for…

Designed to meet the fundamental state standards and reform agreed upon by educators, this book, with its unique approach to writing, offers teachers an essential resource to spark creativity and skillful writing in all students. Each chapter in the book begins with a question, giving students a hands-on opportunity to explore a specific writing…

This project explored the effects of slow tempo classical music on children's on-task performance during independent writing. The project sample consisted of 24 students from a first grade classroom in the New York City Public School System. The students' on-task behavior was observed with and without use of slow tempo classical music playing, and…

Written for those who have never written for a professional journal and for those who have had initial success in getting published, this fastback includes basic information about preparing a manuscript, suggestions that will help with acceptance by a journal, and a framework to design a writing program to help published writers achieve their…

A study of 58 students in fifth grade (4 with disabilities) examined consequences of a statewide performance assessment program using Curriculum-Based Measurement. Results found significant gains in written expression, but no progress in reading, and concluded that this probably reflected increased time in writing activities in preparation for the…

Describes ways to help students of all ages with writing apprehension, including write more; discourage appropriation of voice; listen to fearful writers; find patterns in students' errors; conference during drafting stages; coach peers for effective response; encourage positive self-talk; be aware of possible gender differences; vary writing…

Argues that literacy professionals, in schools as well as colleges and universities, need to write for the general public, and that if they do not, they are contributing to an educational crisis of unprecedented proportions. Provides suggestions on and examples of how to write for the general public. (SR)

Explains how the reading of young adult fiction can help young adults to write better. Presents exercises in writing good first lines; using detail; using simile and metaphor; and sharing significant insights. Provides excerpts from young adult fiction. (TB)