Shows that children in the primary grades possessed considerable working knowledge of the cultural conventions of narrative genres but much less working knowledge of the cultural conventions of informational genres. Reveals grade-related developmental differences for some dimensions of linguistic and textual organization. Shows that cultural…

Argues that, given the expanding audience of non-native readers of English and the need to translate technical writing, technical writing should be unambiguous and predictable. Explains what syntactic cues are and why technical communicators should use them. Discusses integrating this approach into established documentation processes, and provides…

Explored how one skilled Spanish-as-a-foreign-language student in a third-year level class performed reading-to-write tasks. Case Study research methodology was used to investigate the process of reading-to-write within an academic language setting. Data were collected using stimulated-recall interviews. (Author/VWL)

Argues that when a classroom provides an environment that promotes writing, students have the resources, time, and opportunity to create collaborative stories. Describes how, in a third-grade classroom, three girls unite to write a series of humorous stories through group negotiation and class prompting. (CR)

Contributes to the emerging picture of children's development of understanding in geometry and the kinds of teaching that can support it. Describes how teachers can use episode writing to capture student thinking and make instructional decisions. (ASK)

Suggests that when first-year students composed on screen, they developed a tendency to expand their writing processes; and that when upper-level students did, they tended to collapse their processes. Suggests that first-year and upper-level students interacting with a computer can learn and adopt different types of writing strategies. (SR)

Speculates that computer-based multimedia packages possess the potential to change children's symbol-weaving processes (storytelling in which children treat talk, pictures, and words as equals). Discusses how normal classroom practice can be affected by multimedia composing tools, and how teachers can take advantage of the positive aspects of the…

The progress of a 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities and severe writing difficulties is followed from initial assessment through instruction in strategies for planning, revising, and managing the composing process using a validated instruction model, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). Recommendations for applying the SRSD model to…

Seven students with language and learning disabilities in fourth through eighth grades were interviewed to determine their understanding of and attitudes toward a writing-process instructional approach. Students' attitudes toward this approach were positive but their understanding of prewriting elements and of revising and editing were quite…

Describes a year-long fourth-grade unit of study on the genre of nonfiction. Notes that students' early writings lacked "voice." Discusses launching the genre study, choosing and researching a topic, drafting and revising, and publishing. Concludes that students reclaimed their writing voices as they tackled a range of diverse,…

Sets forth strategies intended to provide classroom teachers with some options that enhance writing for all students, but also provide special needs students with the structure they need to be successful as well. Describes the writing process, which includes prewriting activities, creating a draft, reviewing and revising, editing for polish,…

Analyzes the role of computers in supporting the writing process in a large-scale, multisite action research study into use of computers as tools for learning. Notes that the computers and desktop publishing significantly affected the conduct of the action research as well as the collaborative relationship between teacher-researchers and the…

A review of research on second-language writing looks at literature in four areas: research attempting to understand the norms and demands of writing; studies focusing on understanding students, their composing, and their texts; research on the functions of second-language writing instruction and classroom interaction between teacher and learner;…

Compares essays composed by secondary school students with pen and paper to those composed on a word processor. Finds that word-processed essays were neater, longer, more formal, and had a weaker voice than pen-and-paper essays. Finds word-processed essay quality was unaffected for students with high to medium computer experience but was adversely…

Notes that while informed teachers of writing have moved toward more dialogic approaches, they still have colonial tendencies when responding to student writing. Suggests an activity that invites students to talk back to the teacher-reader as a means of helping them move more effectively toward revision. (PA)