This report describes a program for developing literacy skills in order to reduce the number of at-risk students in the identified primary classrooms. The targeted population consisted of students in kindergarten, second, and fourth grades. The kindergarten and second grade classrooms were located in a middle to high socioeconomic area within an…

This publication contains journal essays and book chapters (from publications of the National Council of Teachers of English) concerning trends and issues in postsecondary English studies. The publication's first section, "Race/Class/Gender Positions," contains the following articles: (1) "On the Rhetoric and Precedents of…

Seventy-one ideas for learning activities in the elementary school classroom are described. Activities are included in the areas of fine arts, mathematics, language arts, history, writing, listening skills, and science. (CJ)

A four-phase composition unit helps adolescents solidify their sense of identity and build self-confidence while they improve their written, oral, research, and inquiry skills. The unit requires students to explore their relationships with family, friends, school, and community. (SB)

College courses which use writing across the curriculum (WAC) principles encourage students to write about assigned readings and to respond to each other's writings, resulting in better learning of course concepts and the experience of participating in a discipline's ongoing conversation. Guidelines for setting up peer response groups in both…

Tape-recorded commentaries on student writing can tell students in detail how a reader responds to their writing. Computers that can record and/or play back voice recordings can also help improve the way teachers annotate students' drafts. Strategies for using the method are presented, with excerpts from students' discipline-based writing and…

Describes how the academic-writing component of the Centre for English Teacher Training in Hungary developed in response to the trainees' needs. The collaborative process of program design includes tutors not directly involved with language improvement, and the resulting program reflects principles shared by the whole staff and contributes to…

A survey of the authors and editors of 22 library journals determined that the pressure on academic librarians to publish has affected literature quality. Suggests improving the process by providing release time; evaluating publication quality; choosing qualified authors; increasing the number of persons in the process; training librarians in…

Reports responses of Hong Kong students to a process-oriented approach to the teaching of composition in English-as-a-Second-Language classes. Reports students' and teachers' levels of adaptation to process writing and suggests several conditions that appear to support successful implementation of curricular innovation. (Eight references) (Adjunct…

The activities of a literacy project are described as examples of social constructivism. The role of social and dialogic interactions of teachers and students in literacy communities in which the production, rather than the reproduction, of knowledge is the goal of the instruction is emphasized. Examples of teacher and student dialog are provided.…

Examines a computer-assisted approach to writing in the English-for-academic-purposes classroom that incorporates and integrates information from written texts, electronic and video sources, and a live lecture. The article argues that such an approach introduces the student to the academic culture of an Australian university. (eight references)…

Techniques for helping college-level non-native English speaking students understand the process of editing include individual and small-group conferencing, peer editing, and follow-up on errors. Teachers should give students the pencil, have them read the draft aloud, look for patterns of both good and erroneous usage, and focus on the positive.…

Offers suggestions for the college teacher with limited opportunity for individual writing conferences with non-native English-speaking students: tolerating some more complex errors; focusing on content; soliciting student ideas for correction; addressing only one or two error types; providing vocabulary choices; and highlighting correct usage.…

Describes assignments which engage students and are suitable for end of year: (1) a video or booklet for incoming students describing what the grade they are about to enter is all about; (2) a book of poetry for a special person; (3) a research packet for next year's students; and (4) a letter from parents explaining their feelings for their…

Describes how one instructor incorporates daily poetry "breaks" in middle school. Explains that students begin by listening to Eve Merriam's "How to Eat a Poem," then imitate poems first in pantomime, then with sound and action. Notes that students later write and trade poems, and end the term with a poetry festival. (SG)