Describes a method utilizing student-teacher memos that helps students to be more aware of their purposes and audiences for their writing. Delineates the procedures by which one teacher instituted communication with students through the use of such memos, thereby improving student writing. (HB)

Describes how, at the Alice Carleson School in Fort Worth, Texas, elementary school students have ongoing sources for meaningful writing tasks as they participate in the business of school. Offers examples written by students of in-house memos, letters organizing a conference, and solutions to school problems. (SR)

Describes NEWSCAMP, a two-week summer program for middle- and high-school students, which aims to strengthen writing skills through the use of journalistic techniques. (SR)

Criticizes the focus among some educators upon the writing process. Notes that all writers do not follow the same process and that teaching students otherwise oversimplifies writing instruction and diminishes efforts to improve it. Explains a "scaffolding" approach which involves outlining of increments in a writing process without…

Argues that Mina Shaughnessy's view of language as a politically innocent vehicle of meaning overlooks basic writers' need to confront the dissonance they experience between academic and other discourses. Suggests educators need to abandon the limitations of the essentialist view of language informing their pedagogy. (KEH)

Discusses the results of questionnaires from 376 writing center sessions in which both students and tutors rated their satisfaction. Finds significant relationships between client satisfaction and year in college, learning disabilities, English as a Second Language, the major of the tutor, the course the paper was written for, and gender. (SR)

Assists science writers in presenting science news and concepts by identifying (1) three major difficulties lay readers often have in understanding science; (2) the kinds of ideas readers find counterintuitive; (3) ineffective approaches for explaining these notions; and (4) effective strategies that help people understand these difficult ideas…

Twenty-one suggestions are offered for successful writing for psychology journals. Suggestions include tell readers why they should be interested, consider alternative interpretations of the data, give concrete examples, write for a somewhat broader and technically less skilled audience than you expect to read the article, and don't take…

Outlines a program of English instruction focusing on having good literature read aloud to students by members of the local community. Relates the improvement of writing skills among students to the successful implementation of the program stressing reading out loud. (HB)

Describes in detail many of the current computer software products with which students can improve their writing. Outlines and critiques current computer offerings, including grammar checking software, drafting and revision software, on-line writing guides, and style analysis software. (HB)

Outlines how the computer groupware program for Macintosh computers called "Aspects" was used at every level of a K-12 school system to enhance collaborative writing and writing skills. Imagines possible future uses of the program in linking classrooms from different areas of the world. (HB)

This paper presents guidelines for teaching students to develop lifelike characters in their written stories. The guidelines call for exposing students to books and stories, focusing on student knowledge and experience, providing explicit instruction in character development, and providing story writing practice. The paper includes a thoughts and…

Compares undergraduates' handwritten reports with those written on computers for 10 precisely defined quality factors. Finds more similarities than differences, with 6 of the 10 tests showing no significant differences. Notes that this study does not support a general conclusion that basic writing quality will improve in computer written…

Offers six prompts to use in teaching creative writing at the high school level. Explains how the prompts are used in the classroom. (MG)

Examines whether business writing courses result in improved language skills as measured by the Descriptive Test of Language Skills of the College Board (DTLS). Concludes that business writing courses, although designed to teach students how to write effective business communication, have the additional value of improving students' basic language…