The fact that technical writing is a form of discourse and not just a craft to be learned for a specific purpose means that it has at least three implications for the structure of writing programs. First, it is a method of writing development that is "you-centered" rather than "I-centered." Second, it is a heuristic for perceiving and organizing…

Intended for use by nonprofessional writers who must use the written word to communicate and get results, this book offers practical suggestions on how to write business letters, memos, sales and fund raising letters, plans, and reports. The book covers general principles of good writing and emphasizes the importance of editing. In addition, it…

Writing teachers can use several techniques to focus student attention on revision and to guide students, revision processes. Asking students to make an outline of what they have already written (after the draft is complete, just before the conclusion is drafted, or when the writer is blocked and does not know what to write next) enables a writer…

Controlled compositions are a partial answer to the challenge faced by basic skills teachers of giving their students enough writing practice without increasing their own grading load. This method is especially suitable for academically underprepared students, English-as-a-second language students, highly apprehensive students, students who hate…

A five-week summer conference was arranged for high school English teachers in South Carolina to learn more about what happens as students learn to write, what teaching strategies would enhance their development, and how better writing courses might be designed and implemented. Participants, who wrote almost daily, were asked to examine their own…

To assist future directors and tutors of a particular writing laboratory, this report outlines some of the procedures and activities that were involved in the first year of the laboratory's operation. The report outlines efforts to publicize the program with the administration and students, relates communication efforts between the laboratory and…

It is possible to reconcile two supposedly warring viewpoints toward composition pedagogy: that writers know what they want to say before they begin writing (a viewpoint that stresses the communicative function of writing), and that writers discover what they have to say in the act of saying it (a viewpoint that focuses on the heuristic value of…

This paper identifies and describes the five components that underlie the structure of any advanced composition course: audience, purpose, voice, organization, and polish. Each component is illustrated with examples from technical writing, business writing, journalism, and academic writing. (FL)

UNFAVORABLE RESULTS IN GRADING ESSAYS, PARTICULARLY THE COLLEGE ENTRANCE EXAMINATION BOARD GENERAL COMPOSITION TEST, LED TO THE STUDY. IT WAS EXPECTED THAT PROGRESS IN OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF ESSAYS WOULD BE MADE, BY MEANS OF A FACTOR ANALYSIS OF THE JUDGMENTS OF A DIVERSE GROUP OF COMPETENT READERS IN AN UNSTRUCTURED SITUATION. IT WAS HOPED THAT…

IN SEPTEMBER 1964 THE HEGELER FOUNDATION CONDUCTED A WIDESCALE READING STUDY TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THE CORRELATED LANGUAGE ARTS PROGRAM BASED ON THE "OPEN COURT BASIC READERS" WOULD PRODUCE SUPERIOR RESULTS IN READING AND WRITING ACHIEVEMENT. THE FIRST-YEAR RESULTS ARE PRESENTED. THIRTY-TWO EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES AND 32 CONTROL…

MATHEMATICS FOR BELOW-AVERAGE ACHIEVERS WAS DISCUSSED. THE COMPLETE REPORT IS PUBLISHED UNDER SEPARATE COVER--APPENDIX A. THE REPORT OF A FOLLOW-UP CONFERENCE OF AN AD HOC COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS THAT EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS BE PREPARED IN THE SUMMER OF 1965 FOR ELEMENTARY GROUPS, JUNIOR HIGH GROUPS, AND TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS TO AID IN…

THE PROBLEM OF THIS RESEARCH WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE EFFECTS OF FREQUENCY OF WRITING AND INTENSITY OF TEACHER EVALUATION UPON PERFORMANCE BY STUDENTS OF VARYING ABILITIES. THE STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO INCLUDE EIGHT 10TH-GRADE CLASSES WITH TWO TEACHERS FOLLOWING FOUR DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO INTENSITY OF TEACHER EVALUATION AND FREQUENCY OF WRITING.…

THIS STUDY CONCERNED THE TEACHING OF WRITING TO COLLEGE FRESHMEN WITHOUT THE TEACHING OF GRAMMAR. THE MEASUREMENT WAS OF SENTENCE MATURITY, DEFINED AS THE NUMBER OF INTRODUCTORY ELEMENTS, INTERRUPTING ELEMENTS, AFTER THOUGHTS, AND PARALLEL STRUCTURES USED BY THE STUDENTS AFTER THE TEACHING COMPARED TO THE NUMBER OF THESE ELEMENTS USED BEFORE THE…

This guide contains activities for use in helping elementary school pupils increase the quality and quantity of their written expression. The first section of the book contains prewriting, writing, and postwriting activities designed to develop specific skills. The remaining eight sections offer prewriting, writing, and postwriting activities for…

Perhaps because writing is a comparatively recent development in human history, it is more difficult to teach than any other aspect of communication. It is essential in teaching writing to enlist the interest and the pleasure of the pupil. Some ways to do this include: preceding the writing process with speaking and listening, providing for…