Most of the essays in this collection originated as presentations at the University of California, Los Angeles, Conference on Computers and Writing, held in May 1985. Issues addressed in the volume range from concrete, practical considerations (such as designing classroom exercises) to political and theoretical ones (such as the instructor's…

Based on the idea that a healthier, saner and more creative classroom is possible, this book presents an extended case study of the behavior of two fourth grade girls, focusing on their writing. The book argues that the data gathered from observing students can lead to changes in the classroom and improved teaching practices by providing teachers…

Small community or vocational colleges often face the problem of trying to run quality academic programs with adjunct or part-time faculty who have little contact with the regular faculty and little say in policy-making. The Utah Valley Community College writing program, which successfully combined regular and adjunct faculty in planning and…

A study examined the perceptions elementary school students hold toward writing and writing instruction, and questioned whether these perceptions vary by the kind and nature of instruction provided. A total of 96 students in grades three and four in a large midwestern middle class school took part in the study. The students were divided into two…

Described in this document are the minimum competency requirements that Arizona students must master before they can leave third grade. These requirements were mandated by the K-3 Improvement Plan first implemented in the 1986-87 school year. The first section of the document, which discusses revision of the K-3 skills list, covers background…

Noting that while writing teachers acknowledge that responding to their students' writing is central to their teaching, they still express frustration about how to make their response effective. This book describes a two-part study conducted to discover how the nation's most successful writing teachers respond to their students' work. The first…

Reflecting changes in the focus and methodology of writing research over the past 20 years, this book provides a meta-analysis of studies on teaching approaches and focuses on composition instruction at the elementary, secondary, and college levels. The first chapter of the book examines general studies of the composing process, studies of process…

Based on a seminal classroom research project directed by Dr. Donald Graves, as well as on the experiences of numerous children, teachers, parents, and researchers around the world, this book shows what can happen when teachers and parents realize that every child can write. Although the book is the result of a collaboration, the two authors have…

British students in four age groups--4 to 5, 7 to 8, 11 to 12, and 15 to 16 years old--were observed in their classrooms in order to explore the relationships among the learner, knowledge, and thinking, and the role that writing plays in what is learned. In the infant classroom, writing was quite visible in the form of labels, questions,…

As part of a continuing series, this book contains 27 conference papers, which reflect the theme of reading as a process of creating meaning for sensed stimuli. Titles, among others, cover the following topics: (1) writing and reading in a balanced curriculum; (2) the creation and discovery of meaning; (3) learning disabilities; (4) key words and…

Research indicates that reading and writing should be learned together since both are language processes, and that children should be shown how the skills they have acquired during learning to read apply to learning to write. A language experience approach is useful for accomplishing this. Many aspects of writing point out the integrative…

The 24 articles in this special journal resulted from the Licking County (Ohio) Writing Project. The articles provide information about the following: (1) how to motivate students and teachers, (2) prewriting activities, (3) lightening the teacher's grading load, (4) the uses of conferences, (5) sustained silent reading, (6) traditional techniques…

Written for teachers who want introductions to conducting school assessments and to studying features of writing, this book is intended (1) to provide ways for teachers to analyze writing samples and the writing process for school or program assessment, and (2) to promote the development of teacher research among kindergarten through grade 12…

Intended as a guideline for English language learning and teaching and emphasizing individualized instruction, this booklet contains objectives for language arts. Objectives in the booklet--general, program, instructional, and enabling--are identified by a numbering code and organized according to the general objectives: (1) to appreciate the need…

A study was conducted to examine writing development in first grade children. The writings from an entire classroom were collected. From these, six children's writings were chosen for cross-sectional analysis. Two children from this group were then selected for further in-depth case studies. Interviews, parent surveys, and observations were used…