Drawing from research and from classroom experiences, this paper suggests five strategies for use by reading teachers in helping low-achieving students write responses to comprehension questions. The strategies call for the teacher to: (1) analyze questions carefully and sequence them according to difficulty; (2) give students steps to follow in…

Paragraph writing mediated by imagery is richer, more flexible, and more creative than that produced by the somewhat impoverished, predictable, one-process model usually taught in composition classes. Since the writing advice given students differs considerably from the practice of professional writers, students should be given exercises that not…

Some of the "supra-grammatical" features of scripts written by undergraduate students in India are examined. The script writing was a test administered to assess the proficiency of students in the advanced cognitive and rhetorical skills involved in composition, both in their native language and English. The particular type of composition chosen…

A program model for teaching basic reading and writing skills to secondary special education students is described. Instruction is divided into three levels, within which instruction covers decoding, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and composition. Assessment measures are discussed for each area. Criticisms of high interest-low vocabulary…

A study was conducted that addressed job literacy in a cross-section of occupations. The Diehl-Mikulecky Job Literacy Survey was administered to 107 subjects who represented a full range of occupational types and levels and who comprised a sample similar to the adult working population on the demographic variables of sex, race, income earned, and…

As an aid to Miami-Dade Community College's writing instructors, this report describes the use of the Response System with Variable Prescription (RSVP) Program for Immediate Analysis of Writing, a software package designed to produce feedback statements in the form of personalized letters that reinforce student learning and help correct writing…

In dealing with destructive writing anxiety--as opposed to the creative tension experienced by successful writers--composition teachers must identify the fears associated with writing and design ameliorating classroom activities. Two well-documented tests, the Daly-Miller Appreciation Test and the Thompson Writing Attitude Survey (TWAS), can be…

The first portion of this paper discusses the procedure for placing freshmen in a remedial composition course at a small liberal arts college. The design of the basic skills test used for placement is criticized on the basis of the inappropriateness of both content and format (multiple choice) in determining which students required remedial…

ON AN UPPER-INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCED LEVEL OF ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS, "LIFE IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES" IS THE FIFTH VOLUME IN THE "ENGLISH FOR TODAY" SERIES. THE MAIN EMPHASIS IN THIS VOLUME IS THE TRANSITION FROM READING TO COMPOSITION. EACH OF THE 14 READINGS IS FOLLOWED BY INTENSIVE COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS,…

THIS PROJECT WAS DESIGNED TO DEMONSTRATE VARIOUS WAYS TO HELP STUDENTS UNDERSTAND MORE ABOUT THEIR LANGUAGE AND HOW TO APPLY THIS KNOWLEDGE TO MORE CORRECT AND FORCEFUL WRITING. TRADITIONAL AND MODERN METHODS OF GRAMMATICAL ANALYSIS WERE COMBINED IN ONE ECLECTIC SYSTEM WHICH RELATED FORM AND MEANING. THROUGH FIVE MAJOR PHASES, WHICH INCLUDED A…

AN ELEMENTARY COURSE IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE WAS DEVELOPED. THIS REPORT IS THE TEXT FOR PART 3 AND PART 4 OF THAT COURSE. (FOR INFORMATION ON THE FIRST TWO PARTS AND SOME DETAIL ON THE OVERALL NATURE OF THE COURSE, REFER TO ACCESSION NUMBERS ED 003 860 AND ED 003 861.) PART 3 COMPRISES A SYSTEMATIC PRESENTATION OF THE ARABIC ALPHABET AND THE…

Second language students may develop writing skills gradually, or they may learn and practice these skills through the use of sentence combining techniques. A study is reported of the consistent use of sentence combining exercises with intermediate language classes at the university level. A total of 325 students enrolled in intermediate French,…

Grace and style are elements of composition rarely demanded by teachers or developed by students. Since both terms are elusive to define and because asking students to make attempts at grace and style can have unappealing results, perhaps vigor is a better element to encourage students to pursue. Vigor does not outlaw graceful flourishes and…

A computer-assisted analysis was conducted of the punctuation skills taught in nine series of language arts textbooks. Each text was subjected to a detailed, page-by-page analysis of instructional content, resulting in a content-specific analysis of punctuation instruction at each grade level. The results indicated significant differences among…

Ten current books covering a variety of topics relating to composition are reviewed in this paper. The first three reviews are of books describing actual writing abilities of students: "Language Development: Kindergarten through Grade 12" by Walter Loban; "The Development of Writing Abilities (11-18)" by James Britton and his…