The Illinois Inventory of Educational Progress (IIEP) writing assessment is designed to assess students' knowledge and skills on curricular benchmarks. The Rating Guide for Functional Writing is criterion-referenced. The IIEP is neither mandated by statute nor connected to graduation requirements. Randomly selected students are tested each year.…

Discusses the development of a communicative language testing unit for grade nine French immersion students. The interlocking of teaching and testing is suggested, by preparing a potential testing unit for every communicative, theme-oriented curriculum teaching unit, thus aiming toward goals compatible with both teacher and student. (SL)

Describes an in-house writing workshop for plant supervisors that built on participants' strengths in organization, ability to establish an effective tone, and familiarity with company products and procedures. (MM)

Describes the program of the Academic Skills Center at San Diego State University, which is designed to decrease the attrition rate among severely underprepared students by integrating general education courses with courses in academic reading and writing. (FL)

This book helps teachers work with each student's unique skills and needs so that the student learns to apply information, demonstrate content mastery, think and write creatively and critically, and solve real-world problems. After "Introduction: Infusing Writing in the Content Areas", six chapters focus on: (1) "Creating a Climate…

This paper describes two different English programs for international students at the American Language Institute in San Diego, California. One is English for Academic Purposes (EAP), and the other is Intensive English for Communication (IEC). The paper focuses on one teacher's experiences teaching IEC writing after 2 years of teaching EAP…

This book remaps theories and practices for teaching creative writing at university and college level. This collection critiques well-established approaches for teaching creative writing in all genres and builds a comprehensive and adaptable pedagogy based on issues of authority, power, and identity. A long-needed reflection, this book shapes…

Improving literacy skills is fundamental to providing all children with the best possible opportunities to become successful and self-fulfilled at school, at work, and in the community. Developing the skills of reading and writing helps children to achieve and communicate a greater understanding of the subjects within the school curriculum. The…

These foundation units are aimed at pupils working within Level 2 entry to Year 7. They are designed to remind pupils what they know and take them forward. The units also will teach phonics knowledge from consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words to long vowel phonemes. The writing units focus on developing the following skills: understanding what a…

This study explored how four Taiwanese graduate students specializing in Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language at a U.S. university perceived the academic writing tasks required of them for their coursework. Collected over the course of one semester, data were derived from structured/semi-structured interviews with the students and…

Though the standards derive from a school district's New English Language Arts (ELA) scope and sequence, at least two content areas or disciplines (English and Social Studies) are addressed in this unit of study on Human Rights, and there is ample room for the arts. In particular, the major theoretical framework supporting the unit is Howard…

Articles in this publication address the writing process, teaching writing, and research on the teaching of writing, and take the form of personal experience or opinion, or explore the work of others who have contributed to the field. Articles in the first issue of the volume include: "Imaginary Gardens and Real Issues: Improving Language Arts in…

This report describes a program for improving writing in the primary grades through the use of guided mini-lessons, conferencing, and portfolios. The target population consists of first and second grade students in a growing, low to middle class community. The problems of poor writing skills were documented through teacher observations and student…

This report describes a program for improving the development of students' reading skills. The targeted population consisted of students in kindergarten, first, and second grades. The classrooms were located in adjoining lower socioeconomic areas. The problem of poorly developed reading skills was documented through data collected by the teacher…

A program was developed and implemented to improve and motivate students' writing in the elementary grades. Research data suggests probable causes for lack of student motivation and progress in writing. These causes include: overloaded and product driven curriculum, lack of appropriate teacher training, time-consuming and subjective grading…