Relates a two-part writing assignment for the study of poetry, in which students are assigned to write a critique in response to a particular question and are then asked to give a personal response. (TJ)

Suggests encouraging students to use three or four steps to disintegrate their original objective descriptions of an event in a novel as a way to experiment with writing and to develop some critical observations about the author's fictional world. (TJ)

Suggests a short library assignment researching journal articles pertaining to a student's major or vocational interest as a way to encourage exploration of the library, prepare students for writing more lengthy papers, and introduce students to a variety of material related to specific subjects. (TJ)

Suggests the use of a chart to help students learn to use apostrophes correctly. (TJ)

Suggests a way to motivate students' writing and thinking by having them react to critics of novels, plays, or short stories. (TJ)

Recommends a process by which students learn to revise their own papers using a series of guidelines and questions. (TJ)

Argues that composition teachers should teach students to raise and define questions. (RB)

Standardized tests of writing fail to measure what they say they measure, to measure what should be measured, and to provide information to guide teachers. There are other ways to obtain comprehensive and reliable descriptions of writing performance. (Author/LS)

After noting 16 areas of training needs in written communication, the author describes how he developed and implemented a training program in written communication. This description includes all of the steps taken in developing the program i.e., the use of consultants, the approval of higher management levels, and determining the relevance and…

The demand for instrumental or functional writing is increasing. (DD)

Describes questions students might ask themselves in writing their compositions. (DD)

The passion for a return to the basics is a form of nostalgia for a nonexistent past. (DD)

Evidence shows that reading enhances writing ability and provides good models for the high school editor, writer, or advertising manager. (KS)

Offers four reasons for teachers' failures to teach writing, discusses examples of some successes in teaching high school students to write, and explores the characteristics of good writing programs. (JM)