Describes the writing experiences of a group of gifted fifth and sixth grade students in the Active Learning Experiences in Resourceful Thinking (ALERT) program in Abilene, Texas. (HTH)

Describes three ways to elicit children's poetry about their family histories. Illustrates this teaching technique with sixth graders' poems. (RL)

Shows how photographs of teenagers were used to trigger high school students' creative writing. Provides samples of student poetry. (RL)

Describes the process one sixth grader went through in writing a short story and analyzes what this reveals about writing and the teaching of writing. (DD)

Argues that educators need to demystify the writing process so that students can approach the world of literature realistically. Suggests that exposure to how writers work and to the kinds of situations from which they draw inspiration can provide insights into what is required of a would-be writer. (FL)

Of 493 English teachers surveyed, 114 responded to questions concerning their attitudes about teaching writing skills, problems they faced in teaching writing, methods used to teach writing skills, amount of time spent in teaching writing skills, and the students' writing abilities. (NQ)

Describes a unit which involves the reading and writing of poetry dealing with initiation into adulthood in modern society. (DD)

Four examples of stories written by 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students in the bilingual classes at Bernal Elementary School (New Mexico) are given. (NQ)

Two studies involving 60 graduate and undergraduate students explored the role of structured imagination in story creation. Results indicate representational knowledge was an important influence on story meaning and originality and that meaningful and original stories were more likely to contain abstract concepts than were nonmeaningful and…

Describes how, as a result of the Rivers Curriculum Project (an interdisciplinary program using river environmental themes and coordinating activities in several disciplines), students in a high school English class wrote and illustrated children's books, shared those story books with young children, and shared their story books at the yearly…

A comparison of compositions written by 19 sixth graders using pencil and paper with those written by 19 sixth graders using word processors found that though the quality of writing, accuracy of grammar, and reading ease did not differ between the two approaches, students using computers wrote more words and sentences. (PEN)

Examines approaches and structures that students and teachers may use to explore connections between poetry and jazz. Suggests specific techniques for intermingling the two. Looks at the relationship between the two in terms of "mood,""program," and "allusion." Provides examples of paired pieces and marked-up poetry texts. (TB)

Suggests a number of teaching strategies that can be used for the development of authentic voices (instead of institutional, depersonalized voices) in student writing. Focuses on the importance of students' choosing their own topic, developing audience awareness, and making connections between their own lives and literature. (TB)

A range of metaphors composed by gifted elementary children are presented and discussed in terms of what they indicate about their personal worlds, special talents, and emotional insights. The approach to creative writing described in the article also has the potential to assist with the identification of linguistic talent. (Contains references.)…

This article presents the case of Geoffrey, a prolific 5-year-old writer. It examines his writing and how his intrapersonal factors and propitious environment contribute to his prodigious output. Childhood precocity is presented as an age-based comparable rather than as an adult-based predictor. A developmental theory of precocity is considered.…