The argument is advanced that many literacy materials, such as basal readers and workbooks, do not allow literacy students to learn to read and write in the daily context in which the skills will be used, and an alternative is described. The limitations of phonics-based materials and the resulting controlled vocabulary of readers and workbooks…

This workbook is designed to teach American Indian adults how to write grammatically correct sentences by using mathematical-type formulae for writing and by recognizing the strong visual learning style exhibited by American Indians. It is particularly designed for Cherokee adult basic education students, incorporating their experiences, culture,…

A study examined the difference in writing competency achievement between classes taught by full-time faculty and classes taught by adjunct faculty, and whether student ratings of the course and the quality of instruction differed. Subjects were 1,339 students in all 49 classes taught by 11 full-time and 23 adjuncts in the Fall semesters of 1991…

The information in this update has been selected and presented because it appears relevant and useful to teacher trainers who are working with teachers to ensure that all students learn, as well as achieve, throughout their school experience. The sections of the update parallel the five major strands of the scope of work for the Theme E project.…

A set of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) lessons is presented that is geared to the needs of reluctant writers, especially those with limited English proficiency. The approach has been used successfully with grades 2-6. The plan has seven steps: (1) an oral performance by the teacher using a key word and a series of unrelated sentences in which…

Most discussions of literacy involve at least two types: low literacy (involving knowledge and use of the strategies and conventions important to reading, writing, and vocabulary development) and high literacy (including these competencies along with a number of thinking and reasoning strategies that augment and deepen these abilities). Turning…

Writing to Read (WTR), a project of the International Business Machine Corporation (IBM), is a language development program designed to facilitate reading, writing, listening and speaking skills of kindergarten and first grade students. This paper reports on an evaluation of WTR in a large suburban school district in Georgia seeking answers to the…

A study examined the efffect of a restructured preservice literacy methods course on the attitudes and beliefs of three preservice teachers. The major goals of the restructured course were to develop substantive and lasting changes in the preservice teachers' conceptual understandings and theoretical perspectives about literacy teaching, and to…

Throughout the early years of the twentieth century, literacy education was based on the solid understanding of grammar. Yet as early as 1923, empirical data indicated that the link between knowledge of grammar and correct use of English was tenuous at best. Despite formidable evidence, some educators still advocate the use of grammar as a…

A study described the 1989-90 Chapter 1 Developer/Demonstration Program, Learning to Read through the Arts (LTRTA), and evaluated the effectiveness of its implementation. The program offers intensive reading and reading-oriented arts instruction to Chapter 1-eligible students. Of the 797 students served by the program, 98 were ungraded special…

This practicum was aimed at increasing children's abilities to use the computer through word processing activities. Most of the activities involved children working in cooperative groups. Another objective of the practicum was to incorporate the computer into the language arts area. A third objective was to effectively use a single computer beyond…

This final report from the Center for the Study of Writing, which, over the past 5 years, has engaged in a program of research aimed at understanding how written language is acquired and how it can best be taught, is in three main sections. The first section (Executive Summary) summarizes the Center's major findings related to each problem area…

To alleviate problems associated with free composition as a method of foreign language writing instruction, the directed writing method was adapted for use in a college French composition course. High-quality French texts, often of only a page or two and written by native speakers, are used as a basis for grammatical analysis and discussion and a…

Two teachers incorporated feminist pedagogical strategies into their literature/composition classroom. Feminist pedagogy seeks to break down hierarchical authority; to foster cooperation, collaboration, and the collective process; and to create a place where students learn from each other, taking responsibility for their own learning and becoming…

An informal study explored the difficulties of writing teachers who are asked to set aside preferred ways of viewing student writing for state-mandated criteria when serving as evaluators for state-mandated tests, such as Florida's College Level Academic Skills Test (CLAST). Twelve high school, community college, and university-level writing…