Argues that when a classroom provides an environment that promotes writing, students have the resources, time, and opportunity to create collaborative stories. Describes how, in a third-grade classroom, three girls unite to write a series of humorous stories through group negotiation and class prompting. (CR)

Discusses how teachers can support students in primary grades by establishing an environment that is conducive to inquiry and by helping children develop basic research skills. Highlights procedures for teaching students how to write informational reports, and describes how the procedures were applied in a third-grade and a first-grade class. (KB)

Suggests that when first-year students composed on screen, they developed a tendency to expand their writing processes; and that when upper-level students did, they tended to collapse their processes. Suggests that first-year and upper-level students interacting with a computer can learn and adopt different types of writing strategies. (SR)

Speculates that computer-based multimedia packages possess the potential to change children's symbol-weaving processes (storytelling in which children treat talk, pictures, and words as equals). Discusses how normal classroom practice can be affected by multimedia composing tools, and how teachers can take advantage of the positive aspects of the…

The progress of a 12-year-old boy with learning disabilities and severe writing difficulties is followed from initial assessment through instruction in strategies for planning, revising, and managing the composing process using a validated instruction model, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD). Recommendations for applying the SRSD model to…

Examines writing conferences (between teacher and student, and between two students) in one fourth-grade classroom to see how the students engaged in sophisticated talk about writing, as they consistently assumed the roles of critical but curious readers capable of telling their peers when they were confused about a piece of writing or how they…

Seven students with language and learning disabilities in fourth through eighth grades were interviewed to determine their understanding of and attitudes toward a writing-process instructional approach. Students' attitudes toward this approach were positive but their understanding of prewriting elements and of revising and editing were quite…

Presents a reinterpretation of writing activities based on the analysis of the nature of written and spoken language, and then discusses how writing activities can be put into practice to facilitate speaking. (Author/VWL)

Describes a conceptual model developed for a comprehensive science-writing course. The model integrates writing, research, and critical thinking; encourages students to develop the skills they need; and allows teachers to focus the course around practical, science-related assignments that emphasize those skills. Contains 28 references. (WRM)

Discusses the class-related logbook, a semester-long writing assignment that focuses on teaching the process of using regular writing as a powerful professional tool apart from the formal documents required on the job. (WRM)

Describes a year-long fourth-grade unit of study on the genre of nonfiction. Notes that students' early writings lacked "voice." Discusses launching the genre study, choosing and researching a topic, drafting and revising, and publishing. Concludes that students reclaimed their writing voices as they tackled a range of diverse,…

Describes a study of four Year 10 students' writing produced over a five-week period. Finds the need for (1) more time for teaching English, and (2) a whole-school approach to literacy. Points out that education policymakers should provide funding, resources, professional development, and guidance in the area of literacy. (NH)

Demonstrates how teachers can create electronic portfolios using the World Wide Web. Highlights the benefits of creating and using electronic portfolios, presents the content of electronic portfolios, and demonstrates some of the tools that can be used to create electronic portfolios. (Author/VWL)

Offers a discussion, in the form of a portfolio, of how the author helps student teachers reflect on their teaching through learning portfolios including artifacts on the culture of teaching, pedagogical insights, big risks and monumental leaps, and failures. Notes that these portfolios often surprise and instruct the author about students'…

Instructional rubrics, concerned with gradations of quality, are easy to use and explain, communicate teacher expectations clearly, provide students with constructive feedback, and support learning, skill development, understanding, and good thinking. Tips for constructing rubrics and encouraging student participation and self-evaluation are…