To explain the nature of the response process in journal writing, a simplified version of the theory of speech genres proposed by Mikhail Bakhtin is applied to excerpts from a journal by a college junior. Bakhtin's model of communication is continually interactive and dialogic, as though all voices from the speaker/writer's past are poised at the…

The Community-Based Report provides students in business communications classes with an authentic context for thinking and writing. Students are required to investigate and produce written and oral solutions to a problem experienced by a local corporation, business, governmental or not-for-profit organization. Students develop their own cases,…

A study determined if there was a significant difference in the writing skills of eighth graders after they completed a writing class that based the method of instruction on the writing process. Subjects, 743 students in a midwestern school system, completed the class and were administered pretests and posttests. The results supported the…

The paper describes the application of a computer-assisted writing program in a special high school for learning disabled and dyslexic students and reports on a study of the program's effectiveness. Particular advantages of the Macintosh Computer for such a program are identified including use of the mouse pointing tool, graphic icons to identify…

A hands-on strategy for children to use in determining how sentences and paragraphs work is based on the easily understood notion of topic placement in sentences, with reference to the less easily definable terms of coherence and cohesion. Children can learn that the topic is expected at the beginning of the sentence (followed by a comment) and…

To determine the impact of Composition Aides (CA's)--aides hired to assist teachers in giving students increased writing practice--on student opportunity to write in the District of Columbia Schools, a study investigated the characteristics of CA's, their usefulness, and the amount of time they spent performing various activities. During May and…

This pamphlet presents a range of software packages and activities for primary English teachers to use in the writing classroom. The ideas outlined in the pamphlet are designed to support writers in the various stages of the writing process within the context of a rich writing environment. The activities outlined in this pamphlet are designed for…

This guide outlines the writing procedures for English Composition Pupil Performance Objective assessments and tests in grades 4, 8, and 10 of the Ottawa County (Ohio) school system. Procedures for both students and teachers are included for the prewriting, first draft writing, and revising/rewriting sessions. (MM)

This paper explores the National Writing Project model as it relates to enhancing the professionalism of teachers. It traces the historical development of the National Writing Project (NWP). describes the practices of the NWP summer institutes, and provides an analysis of teachers' satisfaction with their experiences in the summer institutes.…

Students in a remedial composition course at St. Olaf College were required to write all their papers on a microcomputer. It was assumed that text editing would be useful not only in the writing and revision processes, but also in building both confidence and morale as students mastered its techniques. The assignments were explained on Monday, and…

Meaningful use of language involves intending to have an effect and intending the audience to recognize that aim. In a Freudian modification of this premise, allowing for different levels of intentional awareness, writing can be discussed in terms of how writers intend to affect readers, as well as how aware they are themselves of their intentions…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Have you ever had trouble getting children to write stories? One technique that works well is group writing. (1) Divide the class into groups of five or six. (2) Give each child in a group a mimeographed copy of a story starter--just a sentence or an opening paragraph. (3) Have the children read the…

The Writer's Center at Elgin Community College (Illinois) was established to provide students, writers, and would-be-writers with an opportunity to share and discuss common problems and successes in writing. The group holds meetings and invites local writers, editors, and others to address them. Members are encouraged to read short stories,…

In the context of whole language learning, the teaching of phonics can be approached in two different ways. In one situation, the teacher engages children in composing with a purpose and for an audience, during which time the children become aware of graphophonic relationships through their need to spell words. In the other situation, the teacher…

The focus of this booklet is on the use of simulations in secondary school writing classes. After guiding the teacher through five key questions that need to be addressed in the planning and carrying through of each simulation, the booklet presents four simulations. Varying from simple to complex demands, the booklet's simulations include the…