Presents nine points that should be considered by teachers and students when writing social studies research papers for History Day and other competitions. Discusses themes, footnotes, annotated bibliographies, sources, proofing, introductions, conclusions, the use of school libraries, and the typing of papers. (GEA)

Proposes a model for the revision process that recognizes that (1) reading and writing during revision are related; (2) a relationship exists between revision and the writer's knowledge of the subject, audience, and style; (3) revision strategies are based on heuristics; and (4) revision is involved in the recursive nature of the composing…

Proposes that students' problems controlling the rhetorical features of school discourse (inventing a purpose within one's writing that will also serve the external purpose of impressing a grader) are as fundamental to the difficulties of basic writers in college writing as their syntactical and mechanical errors. (SR)

Compares deaf writers to basic writers with normal hearing in terms of their apparent attention to grammatical correctness. Finds that deaf subjects devoted substantially less attention to grammatical decision making during composition. (MS)

Describes Sentence Patterns, a software program designed to help teach sentence structure to college freshman composition students. Topics discussed include traditional teaching methods for the effective use of written language, software development, use in computer labs, and student surveys used for courseware evaluation. (LRW)

Criticizes the application in public schools of the new "cultural literacy," which is restrictive and can lead to intellectual stagnation. Suggests a wider, more active concept of cultural literacy, which involves building new knowledge, accommodating new perspectives, and reading beyond the narrow, traditionally defined notions of our…

Describes a basic writing program which provides an enabling environment to give students opportunities and a plan for composing sentences and texts and interacting with readers, through such techniques as collaborative learning, writing as process, and sentence combining. Offers profiles of typical basic writers including examples of their work.…

Discusses some metaphors used by professional writers when describing their revising activities to interviewers and suggests the implications of their use for research on writing. (NH)

Suggests that writing a resume as a classroom exercise is invaluable in promoting media writing by emphasizing editing in all areas of media. Contends that the resume will teach future journalists and media specialists that accuracy and clarity are intrinsic to success in the communications field. (JK)

Presents the 1986 proficiency guidelines for Russian developed by the American Council for the Teaching of Foreign Languages. The guidelines cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills for the levels of novice, intermediate, advanced, and superior. (CB)

A teacher describes writing activities for second graders that encouraged development of writing skills and enthusiasm through writing conferences, peer support, and sharing. (CB)

The author discusses the importance of the ability to think logically and solve problems with fundamental communication skills and with the ability to make decisions and adapt to change. Five thinking skills are examined: making decisions, planning and organizing, managing time, proofreading, and using proper language arts composition skills. (CT)

Provides only slender support for the idea that there are age-related or ability-related differences in the revisions made by fifth-, seventh-, and eleventh-grade writers. (FL)

Discusses the changing definition of literacy and how this applies to recent calls by government officials for back to basics education. (SRT)

The results of an experiment indicated that approaches using a supplementary workbook, a lab, or the content contained in the regular textbook were all effective in increasing basic writing skills. Results also indicated that a supplementary workbook containing discussions, examples, and drills was the most effective approach, but it also used the…