THE SCOPE OF THE NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM CENTER'S RESEARCH PROGRAM IN TEACHING COMPOSITION TO THE BEGINNING WRITER IS DEFINED IN THE EIGHT PAPERS COMPRISING THIS COLLECTION. THE TOPICS FOR THE PAPERS ARE--(1) LIMITING THE AIMS OF TEACHING COMPOSITION IN THE SEVENTH- AND EIGHTH-GRADES TO INCLUDE ONLY NARRATIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE WRITING AND…

Concerned with the study of lexical changes, this unit for grade 9 is intended to develop the student's understanding of several specific ways in which the meanings of words change, of the interpersonal relationships and the social values which cause such change, and of general concepts related to language change. Discussion questions, lectures,…

This curriculum guide is intended to introduce fifth and sixth grade children to the study of poetry. Separate units include discussion of, suggested activities for, and questions about (1) metrics and scansion; (2) rhyme scheme and stanza; (3) diction, denotation and connotation, and onomatopoeia; (4) rhyme (end rhyme, masculine and feminine…

This paper reviews earlier experiments in fostering creative expression in the writing of students at all educational levels, and presents an abstract of an experiment involving 81 students of educational psychology at Tennessee State University. Each wrote one essay per week, which was then rated for creativity on four scales (fluency,…

This dissertation argues that the skill of using language to communicate should be based on the continuous development of the ability to use imagery, metaphor, and the inherently ambiguous nature of language. Since language is a symbolic restructuring of experience, any method designed to teach language arts must reflect the interplay between…

Recounts the childhood experiences of the son of a children's author. Describes the father's writing habits, his use of imagery in his books, and his custom of reading his new stories aloud to his children. (NKA)

The ways in which teachers conceptualize their institutions and their students are interrelated and will control the process of learning. Teachers must assume a different metaphorical stance toward their students in order to facilitate their education. Two metaphorical roles are described. (MLW)

Examines the effects of age on hearing children's oral rather than written story production and whether there are age-related changes in the signed productions of deaf children comparable to those observed in hearing age-mates. (HOD)

Submits classroom research on students' recognition of cliches. Notes that many beginning writers are unfamiliar with many cliches. Suggests that teachers should be aware of students' limited language experiences and adjust their teaching methods accordingly. (RL)

Four language class activities are suggested, including an exercise designed to involve even the most recalcitrant students in oral communication, an artist's visit to the class to discuss his work, use of an authentic document to develop understanding of figurative language, and a reading comprehension and interpretation activity. (MSE)

This poetry activity encourages K-3 students to recognize figurative language and symbolism in their reading and helps make them aware of different cultural heritages. The activity involves reading and discussing the poem, "Tradition," by Eloise Greenfield, (which is provided on a reproducible tear-our sheet), as well as assorted other…

Prepositions have different but related senses. In cognitive semantics, figurative senses are extended from spatial senses through conceptual metaphors. Pedagogically, it is useful to draw learners' attention to those aspects of a preposition's spatial sense that are especially relevant for its metaphorization. Ways in which cognitive semantic…

The educational aim of this genealogical study of ribbon workers as popular educators is to expose activist and voluntary organisations, not only as generative sites of learning, but also as sites of habituated learning and stereotypical colour assumptions. This study urges popular educators and activists to reflect critically on the popular…

The "good fruit, bad fruit" parable provides a metaphor for sound accountability. If one wants to assess the source of problems to determine quality, then one must look at what has been produced. Unfortunately, many researchers and practitioners have examined the fruit without determining the quality of the tree. This failure has allowed…