Reviews the research related to composing and describes the composing process used by young children as they develop into mature writers. (MG)

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

Reports a study of members of the Magazine Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Indicates that writing coaching is widespread in magazine writing courses. Describes a five-step writing process in which students were coached in one such course. (SG)

This article identifies flaws within current writing programs for gifted and talented students and lists necessary content, process, and product modifications, all of which can be implemented in either pull-out programs or regular classrooms. Recent literature on writing instruction reform is reviewed. (Author/PB)

Discusses literary and compositional theory and their pedagogical implications. Explores the disjuncture between theory and practice to argue for a reconceptualization of the nature and role of writing in the graduate curriculum. Touches on writing in graduate literature courses; invention, tradition, and individual talent; and academic genres.…

Describes writing a novel about the "expectancy-loss" burden of a special needs student and the "teratophobia" of ordinary people. Discusses examples in literature, such as Charles Dickens's character Tiny Tim. Explores special needs student's way of awkwardly examining his life, as well as the trials of an author trying to…

Discusses computers and related technologies as a significant means for acquiring language arts skills. Samples a wide array of uses for educational computing in English and language arts classes. (SR)

Offers arguments for and against making the essay central to the English and writing curriculum. Argues for the inclusion of the essay and discusses personal experiences and feelings regarding essay writing. (PRA)

Investigates the writing experience of 40 eleventh graders and examines the social and pedagogical circumstances contributing to their limited concentration and motivation. Finds that emotion disrupts sustained and thoughtful attention to writing. Demonstrates the psychological toll of limited concentration, negative self-view, and limited…

Examines comprehension and summary writing skills of fifth-grade Chamorro students in Guam who received instruction in the Guided Reading Procedure with an added summarizing step. Suggests that additional teacher instruction is needed to improve student understanding of the content area material. (NH)

Describes a learning environment that enhances student achievement in written communication as one that develops and maintains student interest; enables students to perceive a purpose for and attach meaning to their writing; and provides precise objectives for students to attain. (NH)

Examines the student and professional discourse within the same field through a set of case studies written for a third-year course in financial analysis. Reports on the distinct social actions undertaken by student writers as compared with professional practices. Shows commonalities of student and workplace writing. (HB)

Describes the techniques developed by one instructor for helping students improve their writing, especially creative writing. Outlines how three central writing prompts can be used to inspire student writing and revision. Develops a computer metaphor as a helpful means by which students can access their own "screens." (HB)

Presents six teachers' responses to the "Private Eye" workshop (which encourages thinking by analogy and incorporating writing in many forms into content area teaching). Notes that the workshop was described in two articles in the November/December 1993 issue of this journal. Notes the energy that flows out of the teachers' writing about…

Novelist Denise Giardina discusses growing up in a small West Virginia coal mining town, educational experiences, her career as writer, the manner in which she creates and develops characters in novels, the influence of other Appalachian writers on her career, and the political content of her writing. (LP)