Suggests that writing instruction for students attending residential public schools for gifted students must be tailored to this unique population. Writing instruction should include the writing conventions of various disciplines, writing for the general public, writing across the curriculum, technical writing, expressive writing, and persuasive…

Argues that a term paper worthy of a high grade must be more than a quick literature review. It should be a research project on a subject narrowly focused enough that the instructor will learn new things and in which the writing process requires numerous drafts. Offers a short guide intended to be given to students as part of the term paper…

Techniques for establishing the reliability and validity of student writing assessment are presented. Raters scored collections of elementary students' narrative writing with holistic scores from two rubrics (one established and one new, performance-based rubric). The new rubric proved reliable and valid, though correlational patterns were not…

Investigates writing skills in English (the second language) and Arabic (the native language) to see whether there is an association between poor writing across languages. Data were collected from 150 students who wrote on the same topic in English and Arabic. Confirms that poor writing in English correlates with similar deficiencies in Arabic.…

Describes creating a middle school literacy approach that combines teaming and exploratory experiences with a technology-based intervention. Considers classroom environment, the literacy workshop, the Peabody Learning Lab software, evaluation, multi-media projects, teacher support, and assessment. (JPB)

Examined the cognitive processes through which writing contributes to science learning among elementary school students. Analyzed four aspects of students' verbal learning strategies: writing operations, transitional sequences among writing operations, text features, and strategies for generating content. Concluded that for elementary students,…

Describes "Trace-it," a computer tool that traces the writing processes and makes accessible extra information about individual students' written second-language skills. A study of differences in revision behavior as Swedish students' written English ability improved determined that Trace-it found additional information about writing…

This article discusses how reading and written language samples can be analyzed to provide information about curriculum-based language strengths and needs that can be used recursively to establish student goals and benchmarks, provide intervention, evaluate change, and begin the next round of planning. A case example is presented. (Contains…

This article recounts the author's experiences with students in a Writing Center, and examines the troubles of traditional teaching styles that reflect the notion of a single norm of thought and experience. Asserts that prescriptive writing instruction stymies personal and scholastic development and undermines democratic learning. Contains 12…

English teachers have three frustrating goals: to teach writing, increase appreciation of literature, and instill mechanics and grammar. High schools should borrow from college practice and split composition and literature courses. Using a writing-across-the-curriculum approach would require collaboration with teachers in other disciplines. (MLH)

Expounds how the teachers at Ramirez Elementary School (Texas) have learned to use technology as a vehicle for teaching social studies and for enhancing their students' literacy skills. Offers different types of computer learning tools teachers can integrate into their classrooms and illustrates possible uses of the Internet. (CMK)

Investigates primary classrooms where teachers implemented recommended literacy practices such as: (1) frequently using children's literature; (2) integrating reading and writing; and (3) teaching skills in context. Finds students developed reading and writing skills at higher levels than students in classrooms where teachers used other practices.…

Reports on a survey conducted on TESL-L aimed at discovering whether English-as-a-Second-Language teachers have similar concepts of the process approach to writing or whether the concept has now evolved in different ways in different places. Survey results show teachers actually have strongly differing ideas as to what process writing is.…

Presents a study on the implementation of a constructivist approach to using multimedia technology in two advanced language arts classrooms in a public middle school. Because the principal content consisted of written material, the authors examined pre- to posttest improvement in writing ability as measured by trained raters of essays.…

The growing demographic diversity of the under-graduate student body in American postsecondary education has been well documented over an extended period of time. One result of this increased diversity is the substantial number of "first-generation" college students from families where neither parent had more than a high-school education. For…