Explores rhetorical specification in writing tasks by examining responses to a poorly constructed task used in large-scale placement testing at a major university. Argues that fictional scenarios (writing prompts which give student writers a role to play) can be effective, provided that the roles created are reasonable ones for students to adopt.…

Discusses the most satisfying part of teaching writing--helping students discover what they have to say and showing them how to say it. Notes that the basic skills of writing (audience awareness, organizing thoughts, and revising) are bigger than the rules of grammar and spelling and do not change from grade to grade. (RS)

Discusses aspects of one teacher's responses to students' writing that have survived over the years. Argues that students (1) should write for a teenage audience; (2) deserve written and oral responses from their peers; and (3) benefit from successes shared with their parents. Suggests that responses to writing begin with content, which makes…

Argues that recent teaching strategies geared toward improving student writing through positive reinforcement have resulted in mediocre writing products. Suggests that mechanics be given the same value as content in the evaluation process. (KEH)

Describes an assignment given on the second class meeting in which students, working in pairs, find all the elements of organization used in a particular annual report and calculate sample sentence and paragraph lengths. Notes that such an activity serves as an introduction to class discussions on professional writing style. (RS)

Reviews two recent studies of the effects of using word processing as part of the instructional process in writing. Concludes that neither study gives unqualified support for the use of word processors in the teaching of writing. Notes that this column will continue to review these kinds of studies. (RS)

Describes a think-aloud, oral feedback procedure that English-as-a-Second-Language teachers may use to respond to student writing as interested native-language readers intent on comprehending the written message, and not as editors or proofreaders. (Author/CB)

Describes a program which pairs English instructors with instructors from other disciplines to improve student writing by developing writing assignments, grading techniques, and essay testing components. (RAE)

Twelve teaching strategies are suggested to help learning-disabled students learn to evaluate their writing skills. Checklists for scoring writing samples and for self-evaluation are included. (DB)

Focuses on subject matter influences in writing assessments and the extent to which English-as-a-Second-Language graduate students' writing performance is affected by their knowledge of the subject matter of the assessment topic. Writing performance was found to be superior when the subject matter was well known. (47 references) (GLR)

Presents teaching tips for (1) selecting research paper topics; (2) introducing short story elements; (3) using annual reports in writing classes; (4) using a multigrade approach to evaluate writing; and (5) improving student paragraphing. (RS)

Examines the impact of culturally conditioned conversational strategies on student-teacher interactions. Contrasts conversational patterns with patterns demanded by the essay form. Notes that teachers should view a student's work as a process of translation from the student's conception of everyday conversation toward academic discourse. (MM)

Eight direct scoring indices of written expression were intercorrelated, factor analyzed, and used to predict holistic judgments of writing samples of 172 middle-school students in compensatory/specialized education programs. Strongest predictors of holistic ratings were percentage of words correctly sequenced and percentage of correctly spelled…

Discusses several ways to evaluate reading and writing skills in a whole language classroom, including evaluation checklists, holistic evaluation of writing, and miscue analysis. Provides a literacy development checklist for reading and writing. (MM)

Examines the implications of computerized scoring of placement essays on the theory and practice of writing assessment and writing instruction. Argues that the very feature that makes computerized scoring inexpensive--its universality--undermines its validity. (SR)