Describes a class writing exercise for high school and college English classes (which functions well early in the first semester), which emphasizes a basic idea (that close inspection of a subject will reveal that there is a lot to say about it) by having students describe in detail a person's face, first as a class and then individually. (SR)

Shows how a writing exercise requiring students to write to themselves five years into the future has a dramatic effect on them and helps them, perhaps for the first time, to think about their futures. (TB)

Teachers can encourage parental involvement and appreciation of studying Spanish through simple homework assignments. This article discusses how students and parents work together to discover the impact of the Spanish-speaking world on their surroundings. (Author)

Describes two writing assignments that may be used to make Shakespeare more approachable and understandable: first a paraphrase of a passage, and second a memo to an actor interpreting the same passage. (TB)

Describes two assignments that attempt to reconcile the history of minority high school and college students in Flint, Michigan. States that the first assignment is a profile paper--an interview of someone in the community. Explains that the second exercise encourages students to see and use their world and their words as text. (PA)

Argues that one way to learn the art of concise, tightly-structured, focused prose is through the composing of 55-word short stories. Outlines stylistic characteristics of 55-word stories and discusses how its practice can improve journalistic writing. (SR)

Offers some theory and practical tips from many teachers on incorporating technology smoothly and effectively into the classroom to create an interactive learning atmosphere. Notes that the single most important reason for success was reliance on the most valuable resource: the kids. Discusses teacher training and a technology team, web-based…

Presents the results from a survey, of alumni who majored in economics at Davidson College, designed to assess the value of the types of assigned writing in writing intensive (WI) economics courses. Describes the WI economics courses offered at Davidson College. Discusses implications of the survey results. (CMK)

Middle school teacher describes a framework that gives inexperienced, anxious writers the confidence to write. The process, called doing prompts, stems from analyzing prompts or writing assignments that outline the topic for a piece of writing. The process involves analyzing the prompt being called for, completing a graphic organizer, composing…

Describes a biography writing project in which second- and fifth-grade students interview each other and write biographical sketches. Explains that this project helps to develop students' reading and writing skills, uses cross-age mentoring, and introduces students to biographical research and writing. Includes a list of ten biographies for…

Recognizes the essential role parents play in teaching and learning, the importance of developing both compassion and intelligence, and a shared responsibility for creating a more equitable world. Focuses on two sets of written conversations that parents and children created after reading texts about civil rights and human rights. (SG)

Describes a modified method of reader-response used as a core activity in a literature classroom in which students write a short written response at the beginning of every class to the reading due that day. Describes the procedure, its relationship to effective writing, and its benefits, including reading more critically, writing more effectively,…

Describes a lesson plan designed for first- through fifth-grade students in which they made their own impressionist-style artworks. Explains that the lesson was introduced with a discussion on Claude Monet, his many art prints, and the impressionist genre. Explores the differences between things of nature and man-made objects. Notes materials and…

Considers special needs students' interactions with high stakes testing and ways in which teachers try to improve the testing environment. Makes a suggestion for different types of evaluations including a semester-ending project that permits choice and engages students in interdisciplinary lessons. (SG)

Describes a successful unit on poetry, characterized by collaborative planning, creation of the collection of poems used as the text, variation of the approaches and types of assignments, use of recorded music and poetry collected, use of local poets who read and performed for the students, online sharing and critiquing of students' poetry, and a…