Storytelling and folktales have a vital role in fostering children's understanding of the possibilities of language. In addition to bringing people together, the telling of stories and folktales provides listeners the opportunity to belong briefly to other cultures and other times, fosters young children's growth beyond their naturally egocentric…

A DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOLLOWED IN TEACHING A HIGH SCHOOL "CREATIVE WRITING" COURSE IS NEEDED BECAUSE COURSES BEARING THAT NAME ARE VARIOUSLY CONCEIVED BY TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS AND VARIOUSLY INTERPRETED BY SUPPORTERS AND CRITICS. SUCH A COURSE SHOULD BE DESIGNED TO AVOID THE CRITICISM THAT CREATIVE WRITING FOSTERS "EASY-GOING…

The 18 essays in this volume originated as talks given at the Yale Conferences on the Teaching of English. The first nine discuss where and how to begin writing, the subject matter and organization of student compositions, the relation of writing to reading and grammar, methods used to mark papers, and the evaluation and function of both…

To teach students how to write in a contemporary style, a secondary-school English teacher must be able to describe adequately the kind of writing he expects. Since many modern writers frequently ignore the guidelines proffered in traditional writing handbooks, the "new rhetoric"--a descriptive approach to composition that substitutes…

Lessons directed toward the development of literary and interpretive skills in gifted children in grades one through three are described in this guide. The guide contains an introductory session and ten lessons designed to help children learn about three elements of plot (story line, buildup, and theme), the roles played by story characters, story…

Intended for students at the intermediate and junior high grades, this interdisciplinary unit contains seven lessons on the history of the government of Indians. Each lesson includes its objectives, activities, and evaluation. The activities consist of values clarification exercises, role playing, and creative writing. It is necessary that the…

Information on creative writing programs was collected from 1042 out of 1200 American colleges and universities contacted. The following data is presented in tabular form: (1) undergraduate academic status of creative writing; (2) graduate status; (3) offering of a course or courses covering the "core" or basic literary genres of short story,…

A variety of creative activities to stimulate elementary school children's curiosity and interest in the substance and structure of American English are listed in this paper. Over half of the 37 suggested activities refer to "Words, Words, Words" by Mary O'Neill and "The Language Book" by Franklyn Folsom. The other suggestions utilize additional…

Films, records, and literature and technique books helpful in encouraging creativity and composition writing are listed and described under the following headings: Books on forms of poetry (4 items); Creative dramatics and puppetry (9); Masks and mask making (9); Oriental forms of poetry--Haiku (9), Tanka (2), and other Oriental verse patterns…

This guide describes the nongraded phase-elective curriculum employed in the Cedar Falls (Iowa) High School. All students are required to take tenth grade English, which provides them with a relatively uniform background in the language arts. After that, the phasing classifies the courses according to difficulty and complexity of skills and…

This curriculum guide discusses an English program for the middle school and the junior high school. The guide is based on the premise that the study of English involves helping the student to clarify, order, interpret, and communicate his experiences through the skillful use of language. This is achieved by allowing the student to exercise oral…

Reviews recent research showing that creative composition should begin in kindergarten. Presents practical ways teachers can help young children learn to write and thus to read. (FL)

Explores a teacher's feelings during a classroom journal writing period that erupts into a confrontation with a student who disrupts the class. (NKA)

This clear, reader-friendly book is carefully designed to help readers gain confidence and acquire competence in their academic writing abilities. It focuses on real people as they write and actively involves readers in the writing process. The authors' innovative approach encourages reflection on how professional writing initiatives connect to…

This publication presents reports on four small-scale research projects conducted by educators that helped them explore ways of "doing literacy" and "doing literacy research." Focus of the projects was to learn more about how to do research by completing a work-based project related to literacy. "Teaching and Researching…