Provides discussion and critical analysis of the film "School Daze," directed by Spike Lee. Describes how the film was used to attempt to raise student awareness of linguistic variation. Presents details of classroom exercises designed to achieve this objective. (HB)

Investigates the value of a tiered model of staff development for five districts using "teacher consultants" drawn from a parent district with a long writing project history. Evaluates preconditions, processes and outcomes. Discusses results in terms of student achievement and classroom practices. (SR)

Outlines a method used for teaching brochure writing in nine one-hour class periods. Discusses grading, and notes ways that students benefit from brochure writing. (SR)

Finds that traditional aspects of writing, such as outlining, revising, and audience analysis, rated highest in a ranking by technical communicators of 67 possible topics of an undergraduate course. Notes that other fundamentals, such as style and mechanics, were close behind. (SR)

Suggests that the implications of the conclusions of another article in this issue are critical to writing instruction, in that they relate to the nature of craft in writing and its relationship to current views of language development and learning. Offers specific instructional processes to address students' differing capabilities in processing…

Responds to Deborah Wells Rowe's critique of Sarah J. McCarthey's article in the same issue. (HB)

Argues that through poetry students can give voices to people whose voices usually do not find their ways into their classrooms or textbooks. Discusses poetry and literature, poetry in history, and personalizing poetry. (RS)

Describes an autobiography writing assignment. State that the resulting texts are entertaining, enlightening, and contain facts and anecdotes that reflect the personalities of the authors. (RS)

Discusses the issue of handwriting instruction through the whole language philosophy and direct instruction methods. States the approaches that each teaching method would use. (MG)

Identifies six writing characteristics that separate the professional writer from the amateur. Describes a teaching approach in which students criticize and rewrite a report several times, not only learning the characteristics of a professional writer, but beginning to adopt them in their own writing. (SR)

Presents a brief introductory essay on poet and teacher William Stafford and an interview with him in which he discusses his belief that the teaching of writing requires an attitude of acceptance and a minimum of evaluation. (SR)

Argues that rationality follows rhetoric and emerges from discourse. Asserts that teachers must empower the students by starting with honest personal writing and move to honest personal writing about public issues. Presents samples of students' writing which illustrate the problems involved in trying to sound rational when arguing personal points.…

Describes how a ninth grade teacher uses short, in-class writing conferences to help students with their writing process. Discusses the writing conferences of specific students and offers suggestions on planning, timing, and organizing the conferences. (PRA)

Offers a profile of Susan Stauter, the director of the American Conservatory Theater's training program in San Francisco. Describes her activities with children and adults and her commitment to arts education. (PRA)

Uses Frankenstein's monster as an analogy for understanding the relationship of student, teacher, and literary work in an academic community, and the difficult role of the tutor in helping to make the relationship work. (PRA)