By following the "steppingstone" or marker theory of dividing one's life into no more than 12 and no less than 8 significant periods, a student in a writing course can develop a brief response for each phase to articulate multiple experiences. Writing teachers can aid students in realizing that important life experiences are the stuff of…

Designed to expand children's artistic and reading/writing abilities while developing their ability to draw, tell, and write stories, this paper describes a "story-picture" program for first grade Blackfoot Indian children. General cognitive, perceptual and psychomotor, and affective skills are listed as the course's intended learning…

Emphasizing the importance of developing a social classroom climate, this book addresses the organization of the reading/writing classroom. Nine sections: (1) present a statement of principles based on this concept of classroom organization (J. Steinle); (2) discuss scheduling the school day as an important area of teacher planning (P. Sloan and…

This study compares the effectiveness of two approaches to teaching advanced English writing: the productive writing approach, in which comprehension before production is emphasized, and the traditional grammar-based syllabus method. Five classes of English as a second language in a U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) language…

Intended for educators on the postsecondary level, this annotated bibliography lists ERIC documents and relevant articles concerning computer assisted instruction. Specifically, it contains citations on the following subjects: (1) the philosophy behind computer usage, (2) general information to help decide whether to use computers in a writing…

Taken from the book "The Language of Primary School Children," this essay is an example of the dialogue among teachers in England about language and writing. The essay gives priority to the discussion of actual material produced in primary schools and highlights the most promising ways in which language was seen to play a vital part in…

Noting that many elements of the English classroom--printed books, paper, pens, and typewriters--now considered indispensable were once innovations in technology, the articles in this focused journal issue explore the impact of electronic technologies on the English classroom and how to adapt those technologies to instruction. The essays deal with…

This guide suggests techniques for teaching skills in summary writing to students of English as a foreign language (EFL) in scientific and technical fields. Activities include: pre-summarization (identification of thesis sentences, conclusions and other essential components, multiple readings, notetaking and text-marking); summarization activities…

Two main points should be noted concerning strategies recommended for teaching basic writing students. First, teachers can develop only those strategies that are consonant with their own personalities and that will enable students to develop their own writing strategies. Second, whatever strategies are selected should lead students beyond the…

Numbers 3 through 5 of the 1981 TECFORS newsletter include these articles: "Pre-Writing Activities" (Sandra L. McKay); "Errors in Advanced-Level Discourse" (Robert B. Kaplan); "Sensory Imagery" (Elizabeth Jamison Hodges); "Introducing Advanced Concepts of Reading and Writing in the Beginning ESL Class"…

Intended as a tool for school district personnel as they develop competency-based education programs for English composition, this document presents objectives and guidelines for improving composition quality and instruction. The chapters cover the following topics: (1) the writing process, (2) the relationship between the writing process and…

Noting that effective writing instruction depends on careful planning informed by knowledge of the writing process and its variations in relation to different audiences and purposes, this teacher's guide explains the nature of the writing process and how it relates to instruction. The purposes of the guide are threefold: to highlight current…

Emphasizing language as a means of communication and as a learning tool, this guide to curriculum planning presents a conceptual framework for a kindergarten through grade twelve language arts program emphasizing the integration of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and media use. The content and skills sections in the guide include a…

This volume of measurement instruments in the English language arts is the second one produced by the Research Instruments Project (TRIP), which was designed to collect and evaluate research instruments in language arts, language and language development, literacy, literature, oral language, reading, teacher knowledge/attitudes, and writing. The…

The performance patterns of about 13,000 Asian/Pacific Islander (API) students in mathematics, written composition, and reading in grades 1 through 6 were examined. Student information was obtained through the Los Angeles Unified School District's data base for the Survey of Essential Skills (May 1982). Predominantly English-speaking, the students…