How can classroom spelling programs be structured and organized to fit current approaches to language? Ten major considerations can be identified: (1) spelling is a skill of writing; (2) spelling is best learned as a component of writing, and not as a result of studying isolated skills; (3) not all children will pick up spelling as a result of…

Focusing on synthesis--the ability to recognize and create new ideas that subsume and relate to others--as one of the most sophisticated skills writers can attain, the articles in this journal present many ideas for teaching synthesis and a number of classroom approaches that combine the study of English with other fields. The following titles and…

Containing information relevant to higher education instructors interested in better understanding the nature of the writing process and the development of students' writing abilities, this selected, annotated bibliography is comprised of two sections. The first section contains references of general interest, including research reports,…

This paper argues that if thinking skills are to be integrated into the curriculum two needs must be addressed: (1) the manner of teaching content must be revised so that thinking skills are used and reinforced during the learning process, and (2) courses whose primary focus is the improvement of thinking skills must be offered. A comparison is…

One hundred seventy-nine students enrolled in a first-year college level composition course were subjects in a study of the effects of four levels of audience specification on writing anxiety, performance, and sensitivity to audience. Subjects completed the Writing Apprehension Test, which determined levels of writing apprehension, and then…

A more flexible definition of literacy combines oral literacy, which focuses on the concrete, with written literacy, which is abstract. For W. Ong, F. DeAngelo, A. R. Luria, and others who have done research on oral and written cultures, their central concern is one of defining and describing the kind and form of consciousness that is represented…

This report provides questions and answers about writing across the curriculum, along with a series of 11 writing projects for instructors in the general education core courses (i.e., Energy in the Natural Environment, Humanities, Individual in Transition, and the Social Environment) at Miami-Dade Community College. First, the questions and…

This article focuses on using writing activities in adult basic education/General Educational Development level classes to increase students' self-confidence, enjoyment of writing, and opportunities for group instruction. Suggestions are made for early writing experiences as well as later activities. The writing activities most enjoyed by other…

The use of word processing in composition classes provides the student with both the opportunity to experience a significant technology and the ability to improve the mechanics and style of their writing. Word processing software has many benefits over "drill and practice" programs, "dialogue" software, and "whole process" programs, since word…

The articles in this journal issue present a wide range of theoretical and practical approaches to helping students benefit from imitating products and processes of writing. The eight articles discuss the following topics: (1) imitating models, (2) summary writing as an aid to using writing models, (3) rewriting "Indian Lad" to show how to imitate…

An examination of approaches to teaching writing and how they relate to tests may help writing teachers discover some ways of improving students' scores on writing tests. George Hillocks in "Research on Written Composition," describes four instructional approaches: presentational, natural process, environmental, and individualized. The…

Three articles on assessment in higher education include the following: "More Savvy, Good Signs, Next Steps: A Report on the Third National Conference on Assessment in Higher Education," by Pat Hutchings, on tapping expert judgment, getting students invested, and deepening understanding; "Perspectives on General Education and Its…

This report provides suggestions on how a language arts writing skills assessment program could be structured to ensure that school districts in Oregon carry out the intent of state standards. The report includes: (1) a list of common curriculum goals that relate to writing; (2) general implications for assessment; (3) criteria for differentiating…

Medical documentation is a form of writing rich with possibilities for composition instructors, for example, for instructors in two-year colleges teaching writing skills to practical nursing students. It is also a form of writing which could benefit dramatically from the application of recent composition research. Few medical documentation texts…

Twenty-five students, all undergraduates except one, were informally surveyed to determine their attitudes toward the use of word processing in the writing of student papers. Their responses indicated that the use of a word processor was a matter of personal choice with such factors as speed, convenience, storage, and print-outs cited as…