On November 17, 1995 the following news item appeared in "Time Magazine": "Long-lost cave reveals burial tombs of Maccabees." You (the student) are a journalist who has been asked by your editor to follow up that news item with an in-depth feature a two page spread with text and graphics entitled "The Life and Times of…

Introducing middle school students (grades 6-8) to the joy of writing, this book presents ideas, practical lessons, examples, games, and resources. Step-by-step guidelines and helpful tips for educators are combined with numerous writing and prewriting activities for students--from "braindancing" and "zoom lens" to "downhilling." The book is…

A disturbing gulf between the culture of the United States and that of Singapore, was noted by an American English professor after spending the 1986-87 academic year as a Fullbright lecturer in Singapore's Department of English and Literature and again after returning for the 1991-92 academic year as a visiting professor. Cultural differences were…

Community college students are often described as less motivated, or "turned-off," compared to other college students. This stereotype has prevented many writing instructors from trying new ways of reaching these students at a Midwest community college, the majority of whom have access to the Internet either at home or in the local…

Based on Erich Maria Remarque's novel "All Quiet on the Western Front" and other war literature, this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that works of art about war can call up strong emotions in readers; and that the writing process can be applied to writing poems. The main activity of the lesson involves…

Based on Joseph Heller's novel "Catch-22," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that active readers evaluate the actions and statements of characters in a novel; and active readers apply the ideas of a novel to contexts outside the novel. The main activity of the lesson involves students writing a paper on a…

Based on Miguel de Cervantes' novel "Don Quixote," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Quixote's misperceptions are understandable; writers often describe one object to sound as if it were something else; and metaphors help readers see with new eyes. The main activity of the lesson involves students…

Based on Homer's "Odyssey," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand literature originally presented in one genre can, with care, be adapted to another genre; and adapters of a literary work into drama must consider dialogue and stage directions. The main activity of the lesson involves students converting a scene…

This guide helps teachers and students examine the questions "Who are composers?" and "How do they compose?" In addition to the musical component of the inquiry, the guide also explores the world of writers and how they write and visual artists and how they create. Materials in the guide encourage students to express their…

Written for students in grades 3 and up, this book helps students write or present a report that will make a lasting impression. It offers detailed information on choosing interesting topics, using resources, taking effective notes, creating outlines, writing paragraphs, revising and editing, and publishing or presenting a report flawlessly.…

Discusses the use of writing assignments to improve the capacity of literature students to read and analyze assigned texts in the foreign language. The approach provides a higher level of motivation for self-correction that will enable students to overcome, rather than formalize, their errors. (Author/JL)

Investigates how word processing experience influences tenth grade student performance on a writing assessment. Examines factors influencing a student's decision about using word processors for writing; relationship between experience with the technology and scores on word processed essays; and differences in length, neatness, mechanical…

Presents a model for structuring writing in the geography class with a focus on using maps to prompt writing that will promote student interaction with geographic concepts. Delineates four components of successful writing as fluency, flexibility, frequency, and formality. Includes suggestions for geographic writing activities. (MJP)

Describes a unit that focuses on the integration of African Americans into the U.S. Armed forces during World War II. Utilizes primary sources spanning the years 1938-1945. Provides information and Web site addresses for the documents, discussion questions, and information on assessment. (CMK)

Describes activities for an elementary school library media center that are centered around folktales with forest settings, including people as well as animals and plants which inhabit the forest. Highlights include reading and discussing folklore, descriptive writing exercises, small group activities, and examples of 12 literary characters. (LRW)