Discusses in an interview format James Britton's theories on the importance of language in the English classroom; the distinction between transactional, expressive, and poetic discourse; and the criteria for assembling a literature anthology. (AEA)

Presents an edited transcript of an informal discussion with Mina Shaughnessy on techniques to be used in teaching composition to inexperienced writers at the secondary and college levels. (DF)

Retention of prose is examined as it is affected by (1) outlines as advanced organizers; (2) preexperimental familiarity with the material; and (3) text genre. Findings are discussed in the context of current theories in cognitive psychology, particularly those of structure, organization, and representation of knowledge and prose. (Author/GK)

Explains a four-stage formula that teachers at all levels may use to give students a flexible, practical, and relatively foolproof procedure for generating a literary thesis and its support. (RL)

Offers two expository writing exercises that, machinelike, move from word to idea to arrive at rich and evocative connections. Shows how the first exercise, the four-column association, produces a free-form paragraph or poem following a freewriting warmup. Uses the term "placket" to describe the second exercise, a poem that has a set of…

Examines the influence of an innovative reading and writing curriculum on the expository writing and content learning of middle grade students. Presents three studies that triangulate evidence indicating it is possible to teach students knowledge of expository prose structure and strategies for reading and writing that can be applied in situations…

Identifies a particular class of explanatory discourse, and proposes hypotheses about the types of knowledge likely to be associated with skill in this genre. Finds that variations in accuracy and adaptiveness of students' explanations were partially accounted for by measures of topic knowledge, social cognition, and discourse knowledge. (MG)

Argues that the five-paragraph-essay structure is a valuable teaching tool but cautions that composition teachers need to ensure that their students don't perceive it as an end in itself. Illustrates how students can learn the principles of effective composition and apply them to any writing task by making necessary modifications. (KEH)

Examines the opposition of objectified exposition and personal narrative posited by rhetorical tradition and maintained by most composition texts and syllabi today. Argues that the best thinking and writing are simultaneously personal and public, infused with private meaning and focused upon the world beyond the self.(MG)

Mnemonic and non-mnemonic pictures were used as teaching aids with 67 learning-disabled students in grades seven, eight, and nine in reading expository passages about the extinction of dinosaurs. Both types of pictures aided students' free recall, while only mnemonic pictures facilitated recall of the plausibility order of the passages. (TJH)

Reflects on the interrelationship between expression and mechanics in writing instruction. (MM)

Characterizes writing about literature as data-driven and social science writing as conceptually driven. Describes how the difference shows up in professional writing, the confusion students experience in shifting from one kind of writing to another, the strengths and weaknesses of each, and benefits gained from alternating between the two kinds.…

Middle-school students can be given the appealing writing assignment early in a Spanish course: writing to someone their own age about topics they can handle linguistically. (Author)

English-as-a-Second-Language learners are not always aware of the interference of native culture rhetorical patterns in writing Western academic exposition. Ways to integrate many of those patterns into the discourse norms of academic writing, even when the patterns are oral-based, are described. (55 references) (Author/LB)

A discussion of undergraduate student essays suggests that students can improve quality by concentrating on the rhetorical effects of their writing. Results of a study conducted across six academic departments indicate that rhetorical organization is significantly influenced by departmental conventions. (29 references) (Author/LB)