Because revising can feel overwhelming even for competent writers, the author designed the Focused Question Card (FQC) strategy to ease students through a critically important aspect of the writing process--revision. The strategy is ideal for writing intended as thoughtful reflection of thinking over time and can be used with students from fourth…

A language-centered social interactionist approach toward writing and written communication involve writing and reading as acts of negotiation. Effective writing, which enables writers and readers to construct and share understanding, is a process of interpersonal contextualization. An analysis of the working drafts and revision of the…

The degree to which process writing deconstructs traditional notions about a fixed final product came to the attention of a high school instructor and her students when they attempted to select their best "essays" for a contest the school was holding. The students in this class found that some of their best writing occurred not in their…

A preliminary classroom study is reported in which learning disabled intermediate students participated in a holistic approach that combined the process approach to writing with the word processing capabilities of the microcomputer. Results suggested that improved written language skills on the computer transfer to pencil-and-paper tasks. (CL)

Articles in this publication address the writing process, teaching writing, and research on the teaching of writing, and take the form of personal experience or opinion, or explore the work of others who have contributed to the field. Articles in the first issue of this volume include: "It's a Frame-Up: Helping Students Devise Beginnings and…

Designed to create and maintain an effective classroom writing workshop, this book explains how to teach young writers style and genre characteristics, composing skills, conventions, and the many aspects of the writing process itself. The second edition includes more information, models, and examples in the expository genre, as well as elaborating…

Addresses the question of how teachers can best use writing style imitation to strengthen student composition by exploring validity of claims made for usefulness of models in teaching ESL writing; range, goals, and effectiveness of model-based exercises and writing-tasks; and advantages of process-oriented approach to writing. (Author/BK)

Notes key points of formative assessment that teachers should incorporate into their writing pedagogy: the writing process works; intensive evaluation is seldom desirable; the teacher is not the only person who can evaluate writing; writing must be taught in every classroom and discipline; writing resources are readily available; and motivation is…

Argues that active learning strategies and child-centered curriculum, commonly used in primary grades, are also particularly effective in the intermediate elementary grades. (SR)

Reviews the nature of apprenticeship in non-writing contexts. Describes, distinguishes, and illustrates the apprenticeship, traditional, and process approaches to writing instruction. Surveys evidence that apprenticeship provides the best model; highlights some practical applications of this model to writing instruction. Concludes that it…

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)

Discusses research on the role of teacher help in process-oriented writing instruction. Maintains that, as students become more competent writers, teachers must withdraw as collaborators, or students will not become independent writers and process-oriented instruction will become another form of product-oriented instruction. (SR)

Suggests that students keep writing logs (a record of problems and solutions, techniques, and strategies) as a way to develop conscious control of their writing processes. (RAE)

States the importance of content in the process writing classroom. Demonstrates with "cultural texts" (texts about the daily realities of the students on topics of domesticity and family, violence, evolving sexuality, and future aspirations) that not only how children write, but also what they write about, is of critical importance in helping them…

Describes a writing exercise--writing cliffhangers--that uses six class periods to engage students in the writing process and finishes by publishing a book of students' cliffhanger stories. (SR)