This paper specifies the assessment of those mechanics skills-handwriting, capitalization, punctuation, formats--that are needed for effective writing by students in grades one through six. An introductory section provides background materials, including explanations of how the skill specifications were selected and how they are presented in the…

One-half-page resumes of a variety of tests applicable to secondary level bilingual education have been compiled here. The following areas are covered, with the number of tests in each area in parentheses: multiple skills (5), writing (2), listening and speaking (5), grammar (4), reading (2), aptitude (3), occupational interest (4), general…

In a study of differences and similarities between children's oral and written stories, 23 third grade pupils wrote stories about a given topic and then, two weeks later, told stories about the same topic. Analysis of the stories revealed five types of narrative structures, of which the most commonly used was a "situation-problem-solution"…

An experiment on relative clause formation involving Cantonese students who were learning English was conducted. The study sought to determine whether sentence combining exercises would help Chinese students construct long relative clauses instead of the short relative clauses that exist in their first language. For the experimental group each…

This volume contains information on a pilot writing program, involving approximately 900 kindergarten through fifth grade students, designed to test the impact of emphasizing written composition during the language arts instructional period only, as compared to emphasizing composition skills during both language arts and social studies/science…

This brief guide is designed to help teachers learn how to integrate content and problem solving skills in the social studies curriculum. Problem-solving skills include analyzing an in-depth question/problem, selecting a format for recording information, gathering and recording information, and writing a summary. Materials in the guide include: a…

Noting that the study of the future has been neglected within the language arts framework, this paper proposes a curriculum unit that uses such study as a vehicle to develop composition skills. The paper provides the following information: the general objectives of the unit; evaluation methods; general humanistic themes to be studied; materials;…

One in a series of ten mini-manuals on office communication proofreading, this booklet for business and office students provides instruction in the use of plurals and possessives. Included are terminal and specific objectives, grammar rules and related information, and tasks for practice. A test over the information presented concludes the manual.…

A remedial-English pilot program for college freshmen yielded four major observations about basic writers: they are poor readers, their level of syntactic maturity is low, their writing is riddled with errors, and the strategies they use in their writing often work against them to compound their difficulties. Among the conclusions drawn from these…

Many students, especially nontraditional ones, are not ready for conventional instruction in composition because their problems with the medium overwhelm the content of their writing. There are two different needs for composition students: composing (content) and editing (correctness), which need to be taught in a two-step process. Composing can…

A study of the writing abilities of high school and college students in Florida uncovered specific problem areas in teaching and curriculum design. Recommendations for alleviating writing deficiencies of high school students before they get to the university include a writing training program for prospective and inservice high school teachers,…

The development of alternative instructional activities for use in the basic writing classroom and a description and analysis of four levels of basic writing are the results of a study of basic writing teaching techniques. The linguistic concepts of immediate and transferred utterances and nominal-verbal pairing, and the work of L. Vygotsky on…

This bibliography includes materials for educators who are concerned with assessment of basic speaking and listening skills and is categorized as follows: (1) speech rating scales; (2) listening; (3) functional communication; (4) bilingual education; (5) reviews of tests and instruments; (6) materials on practices in states and local districts;…

A total of 69 college freshmen, all on academic probation, were involved in an examination of the effects of expressive writing practice upon students' reading, self-esteem, attitudes toward instruction, and academic achievement. An experimental group consisting of 35 students followed a writing/reading curriculum, while a control group of 34…

This pamphlet is the last in a series of ten stemming from the view that language is central to learning, that teachers can gain insights into their work and into learning by examining the language of the classroom, and that current language theory can be the means to such insights. It contains a discussion of some of the theoretical positions…