This practicum was designed to allow first graders the opportunity to read and write in a more natural and authentic manner than that permitted by using the basal reading series as the basis for reading instruction. The first grade reading program was transformed from a basal-oriented approach to a whole language approach. Through the use of…

This document is a collection of reviews of promising and exemplary programs designed to improve student achievement. The programs reviewed represent the five areas that hold particular promise for strengthening students' academic performance: improved instructional strategies in reading, writing, and thinking; and the use of educational…

This guide is designed to help home tutors in New Zealand who are working with adult learners of English as a Second Language in need of basic literacy training. This audience includes preliterate and semi-literate individuals, as well as individuals literate in a non-Latin alphabet language. After an introductory section, the second section…

The technical reports and working papers published by the Center for Children and Technology that are listed in this guide focus on educational technology and its relationship to student learning and school restructuring. Technical reports share research results, describe prototype designs, and address issues crucial to the Center's research…

Much of the computer software currently available for English teachers fails to assess adequately computer strengths and weaknesses. Labeled "wimpy software," these products are often little more than animated textbooks whose lesson formats exercise little higher-order reasoning. The future for good quality software, therefore, rests with English…

This handbook is designed to help vocational teachers promote the development of student writing skill in vocational programs. Covered in the first section are methods of evaluating writing assignments. The next six sections are organized around the following major areas of writing: sentences, paragraphs, composition, correspondence, summary, and…

A study investigated the effect of two staff development models--role playing and open instruction--upon teachers' self-awareness and attitudes toward inservice education. In a 2x2x2 design for analysis of variance, 27 composition teachers were randomly assigned, stratified by years of experience, to two parallel but contrasting summer workshops.…

A variety of sources, including writing samples and videotapes of writing sessions, were examined to determine what speech events underlie the written compositions of students from fourth through twelfth grades. Findings revealed a correlation between different levels of writing competency and four types of speech events: encoding, conversation,…

In the Albion Writing Project at the State University of New York at Brockport, teachers, students, administrators, and college consultants collaborated on improving writing and writing instruction from kindergarten through grade 6. Throughout the two-year project, teachers attended inservice workshops on such general topics as the composing…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet deals with the integrated language arts curriculum. Noting the disparity between what is advocated for and what is practiced in language arts teaching, the first section of the booklet describes an integrated…

Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet describes several classroom-based studies that have examined children's writing development and synthesizes what they have shown about the process. The first section of the booklet analyzes the term "writing…

Intended for writing teachers and administrators of writing programs, this handbook is both an information source and a model for a staff development workshop on writing assessment. Section I reviews the history of the New Jersey Statewide Writing Test, while Section II describes the test format, content, and reporting procedures. After an…

An English language arts methods course developed through a professional teacher network offers many advantages of a professional development school (PDS) but is easier for individual teachers and university instructors to initiate than a PDS. This report describes a writing methods course that an expert National Writing Project (NWP) teacher…

Addressing the need for developmental or remedial reading and writing courses at the college level, this paper provides a broad perspective on the strengthening of such programs for students deficient in these skills. The paper first enumerates various reasons for developing reading-writing courses for pre-college students, then provides evidence…

A case study detailed the influence of a nine-year-old female sibling on the writing development of her younger brother, from the time he was 18 months old until he was 28 months old. General and significant interactions, such as the boy's oral language milestones and the books the children shared, were recorded in a journal by their mother.…