Forty-eight low-achieving limited-English-proficient Hispanic fifth graders in an intensive six-week summer program were taught writing skills using free writing or structured writing methods. Analysis of weekly standardized writing samples showed significant growth on five of nine scores for structured writing groups and on one score for…

Narrates the author's experience and insights regarding the power of stories from an individual's own family. Discusses the power of learners' family stories, story in the freshman English classroom, learning how story structure works, family stories in remedial college classes, and writing for publication classes. Describes a year-long writing…

Describes one teacher's change process as she moved from a formal list of spelling words to a more individualized program, focusing on high-frequency words, student ownership, and sound/spelling principles. Offers descriptions of her spelling program as well as seven selected journals entries to show what her spelling program looks like during a…

Describes children's early use of oral and written language for different purposes. Advocates fostering early appreciation of a variety of texts to cultivate children's disposition to read and write for enjoyment, information, and communication. Presents ideas for using the talking, reading, and writing done every day by young children to develop…

Presents an informal study in which 191 practicing teachers completed a survey requiring them to list their three most pressing questions about working with struggling readers and writers. Addresses some of the teachers' questions about struggling readers and writers for nine categories of concern. (SG)

This article reviews research associated with instructional programs on writing strategies that are part of the "Learning Strategies Curriculum." The research shows that secondary students with disabilities can learn to use complex writing strategies to such an extent that they can write multi-paragraph themes appropriate for general education…

Draws on Bakhtin's work on dialogism and research with a group of non-traditional student writers and their specific experiences of academic writing within a number of academic disciplines. Maps out different levels of dialogism in Bahktin's work and illustrates the way these are and are not to be the center of an academic literacies stance.…

Examines the effect of a training program on phonological skills that intended to lead preschool Portuguese children (n=30) to move from prephonetic spellings to early phonemic spellings. Reports that for the experimental group, the intervention was effective in moving the children to early phonemic spellings. Includes references. (CMK)

Examines the ways teachers-to-be sought to position themselves and children within power-knowledge relationships in the context of the pen pal letters, and the difference such positionings made for the child writers and the preservice teachers. Explores the parallels between the ways preservice teachers took up particular modes of address and the…

Explores storybook reading aloud through a focus on the aspects of story listening and telling. Demonstrates that a story engagement is significantly distinctive from other communications. Considers how storybook reading aloud initiates a specific set of language abilities, a knowledge body and possibilities for application. (SG)

Discusses a hierarchy of concerns tutors can use in working with ESL writers. Suggests that the student's understanding of the assignment, development of a thesis, logical organization, and fully developed ideas all supplant minor issues, such as improper use of the definite article or subject/verb agreement. (NB)

This article discusses the potential significance of name-writing skills in addressing important questions about early literacy skill development. Questions raised include whether name-writing skill development mirrors the development of other important cognitive skills, the potential of name- writing skills to offer insight into literacy concept…

Examines the effectiveness of the Direct Instruction program "Reasoning and Writing" in improving the writing and reasoning abilities of gifted fifth-grade students. Notes significant improvement in writing skills of students using "Reasoning and Writing," yet no significant difference in reasoning skills. Provides implications…

Provides details of 10 students with learning disabilities or behavioral disorders who were taught in a special education resource room using the "Reasoning and Writing" program. Notes students made large and statistically significant gains. Suggests that a relatively brief intervention with "Reasoning and Writing" had a…

Explores correlates of college writing students' use of instructor comments. Considers interrelationships among writing apprehension, writing outcomes expectations, writing self-efficacy beliefs, and students' use of global and local feedback from instructors when students revise first drafts of news stories. Finds that writing apprehension, the…