Writing is one of the most complex activities children engage in during their school careers. This book provides teachers with the knowledge and ideas they need to increase their effectiveness when instructing students in writing. The book blends together practical, easy-to-implement, classroom-tested lessons and activities based on research. It…

School districts are reporting large increases in English language learners in their student populations. In some instances, English language learners are the fastest growing student population. This paper explores the impact of an urban school district English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program on language minority students for a period of 2…

This digest examines issues related to the grading of students' classroom writing, including the relation of the writing process to the grading process, ways to construct effective writing assignments, fairness and professional judgment, ways to include students in the assessment of writing, and guidelines that professors can use to provide…

This book was developed for two reasons: to show teachers, administrators, and parents how to have a successful year-long writing program; and to demonstrate that a valuable literacy tool is not expensive when it utilizes reading-readiness materials already in use. Intended primarily for K-1 teachers, the book contends that students can be…

This study examined students' beliefs about themselves as writers and about their experiences of learning through writing. A sample of 30 students enrolled in 2 freshman composition classes at a medium-sized Midwestern university completed a 74-item inventory measuring student writing approaches. Following administration of the inventory, 13…

Research has shown that although university instructors of English as a Second Language are aware of the benefits that active learning can bring the student, teacher-centered, traditional lecture method classes are still the norm. Resistance to change is due in part to large class sizes, limited instruction hours, and the perception that proactive…

This book, which focuses on strategies for content area literacy, employs a step-by-step approach to help students comprehend content area texts, effectively express their ideas in writing, and acquire the literacy skills they need to succeed. The book provides a research-based framework for teaching reading and writing with strategies for…

Aligned with its 1998 standards for first and second language learning, Alberta Learning has published lesson plans that aim for a closer relationship between learning and evaluation. Each volume in this series presents a specific task for students that involves planning, carrying out and evaluating their work. The task for ninth grade students…

This reference resource identifies issues concerning technology use in library literacy programs and describes approaches that work at the Brooklyn (New York) Public Library. Section 1 discusses the learning centers at the library, including its mission, philosophy, curriculum, technology, volunteer tutors, and active learning environment. Section…

Contrastive rhetoric can help English teachers of native Japanese speaking students to better understand cultural and first language influences which affect the acquisition of English expository writing skills. An awareness of the Japanese expository writing style called "delayed introduction of purpose," which can cause problems in…

Offers a detailed description of a unit designed to explore the effectiveness of communication through the media that emphasizes all modes of communication--listening, speaking, reading, and writing. (AEA)

Establishes a typology of nine profiles that display how content and form are generated, organized, and reassessed from intention to revision. (MM)

Presents a policy statement by the National Council of Teachers of English that identifies the ways in which the study of English contributes to the knowledge, understanding, and skills of those who will make up the society of the future. (HTH)

Transcripts of writing conferences and of interviews with students illustrate both the changes in the way students evaluate writing and the teaching strategies that sharpen evaluative skills. (RL)

Over 2,000 writing samples were collected from four undergraduate institutions and compared, where possible, with scores on a multiple-choice test. High correlations between ratings of the writing samples and multiple-choice test scores were obtained. Samples contributed substantially to the prediction of both college grades and writing…