Presents comments by authors of children's and adolescent literature about qualities of good writers, which include being a good reader, caring about language, being well educated, being an alert observer, being a good story teller, and being a compulsive writer. (EL)

Examined cultural and instructional influences on comprehension of figurative language ("sounding") by elementary school children in Harlem and studied effects of a program of creative writing instruction provided by visiting writers. Concludes that special instruction tended to improve figurative language comprehension of children and…

Reevaluates the impact that Kenneth Koch's 1970 collection of children's poetry, "Wishes, Lies, and Dreams," has had on its contributors. (MM)

Shows how teaching sixth grade ESL students the story grammar of fairy and folktales enabled them to learn to express themselves in their own fiction writing. (FL)

Reports the results of a survey of the curricula of 259 college English departments which indicate that the growing demand for writing courses coupled with the need to maintain a well-balanced program of literature offerings is causing problems for departmental administrators. (AEA)

Standardized writing tests focus more on content than mechanics, but writing instruction typically focuses more on mechanics than content. Plot scaffolds, can help teachers fix the balance and help foster creativity and originality in students' writing. In this practical guide, elementary and middle school teachers will find: (1) a research-based…

The Urban Sites Network of the National Writing Project was conceived, designed, and implemented as a national teacher inquiry network for urban sites of the National Writing Project. The goal of the Urban Sites Network has been to develop, articulate, and implement a new agenda for National Writing Project sites serving larger cities. Over the…

This study describes a program for students in the target 4th, 7th, and 8th grades who exhibit low achievement in writing. This low achievement affects behaviors, attitudes, and peer interactions. Discipline referrals, district assessments, and teacher written assessments substantiate this dilemma. Probable cause for lack of writing skills has…

In school, writing may be emphasized across the curriculum. There is a plethora of kinds of written work for students to be engaged in when studying science lessons and units. Poetry writing may be an excellent way for students to reveal what has been learned in a science unit. Many good poems dealing with science information are collected in…

This issue of the Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC) Journal focuses on creativity. Featured articles include: (1) "Creativity: What Is It? and What Does It Look Like" (Sally Y. Walker); (2) "What Is Creativity?" (Debbie Cho); (3) "Creativity and Underachievement" (Sylvia Rimm); (4) "Stacy Hayden:…

This book is designed for teachers who are looking for approaches to make the teaching of writing fresh. The book offers suggestions for writing that are appropriate across the curriculum and for students in Grades K-12. It contains ideas for enlivening students' writing experiences, including an innovative use of the "helping circle." It advises…

This article showed that students demonstrate individual differences in their composition of text. It was found that noncontingent students tended to write more creative essays and used more text-creative or schema-creative propositions in composing their descriptions than did the other two register groups (imitative and contingent). (Author/GK)

Notes eight ways that journalism instructors can break the barriers of cultural sex-linked behavior so that their students feel free to express themselves creatively. (FL)

Views the stage as effective in teaching critical thinking, writing, research, computer and verbal communication skills. Uses historically accurate testimony from the court martial of Lt. William Calley to demonstrate the nature of warfare and United States involvement in Vietnam. Classes dramatize the moral and ethical judgments that are made.…