Developed to assist teachers of communication arts in the high school PREP (Preparation for Raising Education Performance) summer classes, the 30 75-minute lessons in this second of two handbooks are designed to help ninth graders operating with below grade level reading skills (around the 3rd-5th grade level) improve their reading comprehension.…

In the business writing class, teachers should consider the following suggestions: (1) capture students' interest and involve them, (2) prepare them for life outside the English classroom, (3) help them better understand the writing process, and (4) show them that writing occurs in a context that includes a writer, one or more readers, and a host…

In this special journal issue, ten teachers who have consistently produced award-winning student writers share their thoughts on the teaching of poetry. The first article provides reminiscences of student poets taught by one teacher and provides a guide for use in the close reading and analysis of poetry. The second article suggests techniques for…

This journal issue focuses on instructional methods for teaching the English language arts to gifted and handicapped children. The articles discuss a variety of topics, including (1) remedial language instruction; (2) improving a dyslexic student's spelling; (3) creative writing for the language disabled; (4) writing instruction for emotionally or…

The methods used by a college freshman composition teacher to make writing an authentic and natural activity for students are outlined in this paper. Among the techniques described are the use of (1) warm-up activities to encourage sharing written efforts, with teacher-as-participant; (2) peer editing groups; (3) reflection questions; (4) student…

The writing assignments developed for a course in expository writing intended for gifted eighth grade students are described in this paper. The first assignment described is a causal analysis essay that required the students to examine events from their lives or from newspaper articles and analyze the causes of the actions involved. The paper…

The single most important thing that a teacher can do for a student is to identify and label specifically what the child does right rather than what he or she does wrong. In an elementary school where students wrote every day and teachers marked every error, students began to write less, using simpler words and eliminating all meaningful writing.…

Supporters of the "back to basics" movement have suggested that educators are spending more time on "nonessential" subjects and less time on the basic subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics. To test the validity of this belief, a study was conducted to determine the actual amount of time teachers were giving to each of…

The Better Teaching--Better Writing program, as implemented in the School District of Webster Groves (MO), has four objectives: (1) by the completion of a 1979 Summer Writing Institute, the 19 participants would demonstrate increased knowledge about the literature and research in the teaching of writing, about teaching of writing approaches, and…

One of a number of reports of a study of the writing development of 14- to 16-year-old students, this booklet is divided into two parts. The first part uses five criteria to analyze what four secondary students learn from composing imaginary stories: (1) What resources are used in the setting or situation? (2) What kind of ordering is used? (3)…

The process-oriented advanced technical writing course described in this paper leads students progressively through the writing and editing processes while involving them in the technical writing of their respective disciplines. The readings, exercises, and report assignments used in the course are discussed to show how these activities awaken…

This writing skills curriculum provides Adult Basic Education (ABE) teachers with a perspective on intended writing goals for their ABE students, delineates specific writing objectives, and presents a framework within which writing activities can effectively take place. Introductory material provides a guide to the use of the curriculum and…

The 34 papers in this volume discuss a variety of technical writing topics. The following are some of these topics: (1) definitions and historical analyses of technical writing; (2) using case studies in technical writing classes; (3) advice to beginning teachers on how to teach graphics in technical communication classes; (4) preparing for an…

Intended to help teachers in developing language arts curriculum materials for use with recent Cuban refugees to the United States, this paper contains 300 topics for creative and expository writing based on the roots of the Cuban culture. The topics cover a variety of subjects, including food preparation, memories of Cuba, experiences in a new…

This issue of a publication devoted to providing ideas and guidance for teachers of English as a second language includes the following articles and features: (1) "Toward Interactive Modes in Guided Composition," (2) "Computer Compatibility in the Classroom," (3) "Discourse Structure in Reading," (4) "Terminal Behavior and Language," (5) "Sector…