Describes an assignment in which students interview businesses to learn about the kinds of writing done in that business and then assess the rhetorical context of such writing. (SR)

Describes how generating effective advertising copy affords students practice in aspects of persuasive writing, such as developing a thesis, refuting counter-arguments, and writing in a comparison-contrast mode. Notes that this approach helps students negotiate the problematic shift from expressive to persuasive discourse without losing their…

Describes an assignment in an undergraduate technical writing class in which students establish a mini-internship with an off-campus employer and complete a major writing task that will meet the needs of the employer. Discusses typical projects, monitoring the projects, feedback from supervisors, handling occasional problems, and benefits of the…

Describes four essay assignments in a sequence on experts that deal with sharing expertise, defining expertise, interviewing an expert, and seeing teachers as experts. Asserts that these assignments result in writing that is no longer the recapitulation of information received from experts but is communication notable for the quality of its…

Asserts that most technical writing textbooks are artificial as they do not force students to deal with writing problems in the same way as in the workplace. Maintains that technical writing instructors can provide their students with realistic writing alternatives. Discusses realistic alternatives for writing instruction and definitions. (PRA)

Describes a learning strategy which asks students to write questions that can be answered from the information posted on a graph that they created. (MG)

Presents sample writing assignments that enable students to practice social studies skills. Suggests that the use of creative writing assignments allows students to make a jump in time or place to the era and area being studied. Argues that using the imagination is a better approach to learning than memorizing facts. (DK)

Developing their own criteria for authentic learning prompted several teachers of a three-hour interdisciplinary block combining biology, U.S. history, and American literature to critique old, favorite assignments and develop new, more powerful ones for their tenth graders. Book reports and Civil War battle research yielded to more authentic and…

Describes a qualitative study of the practices of 12 teachers as they used writing activities in the classrooms. Presents examples of integration of writing and subject matter. (SR)

Describes a written assignment designed to help students develop a framework for understanding the meaning of the concept of social imagination. Defines social imagination as a pattern of questioning and understanding the world. Suggests that students must develop a mindset that allows them to understand the intersection between personal biography…

Describes a class activity in which children write "news stories" concerning what happened to them over the weekend. Notes that the activity is enjoyable and effective in facilitating literacy. (RS)

Describes a writing assignment that places emphasis on objective writing, including a special focus on transitions as a way of encouraging students to give greater attention to specific details. Emphasizes the need to be objective and factual and the need for precision and accuracy. (MG)

Demonstrates a way to encourage students to take risks in their writing. (SR)

Asserts that using cartoons to generate explanations in writing can be an effective assignment. (PRA)

Describes an activity used with a fifth-grade mathematics class in which students solved a problem and wrote a convincing argument to prove their solution made sense. (SR)