This newsletter issue focuses entirely on classroom instruction in adult basic education (ABE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs. The first article, "Whole Language and Adult Literacy Education" (Kazemek), describes 10 principles of holistic language education and how they may be translated into actual classroom practice.…

The library can assist in grounding college student writing in reading and inquiry rather than in the mere retrieval of information Fundamental rhetorical goals can best by met by getting students into the library to ask questions, analyze sources, and evaluate claims so they can react to and incorporate the work of other writers into their own…

A study investigated how young children use the word processor as a tool in their development as writers. Forty children, ages 4 through 7, from a university laboratory school in a small midwestern community, participated in the study. Videotapings and audiotapings during writing events served as the primary means of data collection. These were…

Research suggests that culturally distinctive first-language rhetorical patterns influence second language composing skills. Frequently, however, these patterns have never been taught formally and are not refined, leaving first-language composing largely underdeveloped. Teaching second language learners to compose often requires attending to the…

This book is a collection of articles originally printed in "Language Arts," the membership journal of the elementary section of the National Council of Teachers of English. The book responds to the thousands of teachers looking for ways to incorporate student-centered, collaborative learning strategies into their classrooms. The…

Reading and writing plays can be a good way to learn reading, listening, and writing skills. This paper contains suggestions for using plays in adult literacy courses. Ideas are given for reading and writing plays, including developing a plot and characters, drafting a script, and editing and finalizing a script. Various methods of transcribing…

The first in a series on content area writing instruction, this booklet is intended for elementary school teachers who have taught writing, but who want to move into content writing topics and for teachers who are novices at teaching writing but who think content writing instruction might be an important skill to teach their students. The three…

Intended to provide the Portland Public Schools Curriculum Department documentation of the second-year kindergarten implementation and to provide kindergarten teachers data to support the development of a readiness continuum and placement criteria, this report furnishes a detailed explanation and survey of the Writing to Read program, an…

A case study of writing behavior illustrates the potential rift between writers' awareness of audience perspective and their application of this knowledge. Twelve students (four each, aged 9, 13, and 18) in the San Diego, California, school system were asked by their teacher to write two letters about memorable places they had visited--one to a…

Community college English composition classes are ideal for expanding the circumference of poetry because (1) reading poetry broadens students' horizons and may lead to an interest in literature, (2) writing poetry helps students express themselves and skills acquired in poetry-writing may carry over into essay writing, (3) reading/writing poetry…

A study was conducted to determine whether extensive vocabularies increase students' notetaking skills. The subjects, 45 volunteer college seniors involved in elementary and secondary student teaching, were given both the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (Form A) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (revised), as well as the general information…

The articles in this journal issue explore the current status of writing instruction and scholarship. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "The Writing 'Crisis': What It Is and What It Ain't" (Rexford Brown); (2) "Freshman English Then and Now: A Report on Student Writing" (James DeMuth and Stephanie…

The articles in this journal issue present a rationale and methods for using elements of the humanities to teach remedial reading and writing. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "The Humanities and Basic Skills Project" (Nan Dougherty); (2) "The Humanities and Basic Skills" (Robert L. Horn); (3) "Beyond Fragmentation;…

The articles in this journal issue explore classroom methods for enhancing language acquisition. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) Forests and Trees: Conservation and Reforestation" (Joyce S. Steward); (2) "Using Literature to Teach Language" (Richard D. Cureton); (3) "Language Learning through…

As part of a study conducted by the Learning Assessment Retention Consortium to develop a student outcomes evaluation model, data were collected on the characteristics and skill levels of 7,500 remedial writing students from 29 community colleges in Fall 1986. Three methods of data collection were used: pre-testing of reading comprehension,…