Suggests having basic writers complete a writing apprehension measure at the beginning and end of the term. Argues that students' responses can help teachers identify problems at the beginning of the term and help students evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses as writers at the end of the term. (RS)

Describes a collaborative learning activity that can be used in a composition classroom. Suggests ways of planning collaborative activities. (RAE)

Questions the required use of over-sized pencils as writing implements in kindergarten. Evaluates eight writing samples written with eight tools of different sizes and shapes. Reports no noticeable differences in the conventionality (form) of the letters, in directionality, or in spelling. (KEH)

Argues that comparing developments in the process approach to writing and the design methods movement sheds light on the evolution and future direction of the writing paradigm. Argues that sensitivity to the variety of writing tasks and social contexts is more effective than a single amorphous model. (RS)

Describes elements in a teacher-training program for graduate assistants teaching business and technical writing at Miami University in Ohio, including preparatory seminars, apprentice-teaching with mentoring by master teachers, and supportive evaluation. Notes that these strategies can be adapted to other programs in which graduate students teach…

Writing strategies encourage beginning writers to collect, explore, and focus ideas. This paper presents a rationale for fusing the word processor with the writing process and offers a series of pre-writing strategies, such as brainstorming, clustering and chunk writing, to help learning-disabled writers begin writing. (Author/PB)

Argues that writing instruction is most effective when instruction focuses on inquiry which includes: utilizing concrete data, solving problems by using thinking strategies inherent in various writing tasks, focusing on student-centered problems, and encouraging student interaction with a minimum of teacher lecture. (JAD)

Describes the efforts of one teacher-researcher to explore the effectiveness of different peer response strategies in the writing class. Notes that teacher-researcher projects can help to develop and assess writing curricula in ways that are outside the scope of specialists and external evaluators. (MM)

Examines the history of business communication principles. Concludes that principles supposedly developed for business communication can be found in turn-of-the-century composition textbooks and can be traced to a 2000-year-old tradition of epistolographic writings. Questions the viability of principles whose validity depends on rhetorical…

Describes an exercise in which students learn to recognize cliches by locating them in a poem and generating them in a class discussion. Notes that by teaching students to recognize unimaginative and ineffective language in the work of other writers, they can learn to avoid it themselves. (MM)

Critiques a continuum of seven writing tasks to determine what type of task enables primary school children to best demonstrate their creativity and level of language learning. Suggests ways to provide opportunities for authentic writing. (RJC)

Describes a research project in which students write on the same topic--fast food chains. (MM)

Describes a research project in which students investigate a personal "bad" habit. (MM)

Describes several activities using postcards as writing prompts at all classroom levels. (MM)

Illustrates the literature-writing connection by describing: (1) first-graders' responses to a mini-lesson on leads based on familiar literature; (2) improvement in students' poetry-writing after exposure to books and poems about whales; and (3) a workshop introducing similes through reading and writing poetry. (MM)