Freewriting is an effective means of teaching students how to develop persona in writing. One approach is to have students imagine that they are inanimate objects or nonhuman creatures, provide them with a specific situation or environment, and ask them to freewrite for five to ten minutes. Another slant is to have them become famous historical…

Information is provided on the goals, objectives, strategies, and content of four courses in Anne Arundel Community College's English Division: (1) English 001, which teaches structuring of words into sentences that conform to the accepted conventions of English grammar, punctuation, and capitalization; (2) English 002, which teaches the…

Designed to evaluate high school or college writing programs and writing instruction, this instrument includes six different questionnaires that provide information about the foundations of the writing program; teachers' assumptions, goals, and plans; classroom activities as observed by colleagues; the quality of writing assignments; the quality…

The annotated titles in this bibliography are intended to introduce the novice to current or significant work on the application of cognitive psychology methodologies to the writing process. The bibliography is arranged in four sections: (1) an overview of the topic that includes anthologies, essays and papers; (2) relevant publications of Linda…

A text's meaning is, in part, independent of its form. Reading, most of the time, is taking meaning--not words--from the printed page, while proofreading requires attention to form rather than meaning. The author notes that: (1) a meaningful passage is easier to read than one with less meaning; (2) errors in oral reading usually do not obscure a…

Writing exercises are games that can lead to success in the classroom because they are artificial and have arbitrary rules defined by the instructor. By giving students a starting point, a limited task, and the assurance that the writing is, after all, "just a game," exercises can circumvent students' initial anxieties about self-presentation and…

The "controlling statement," a method of teaching students to write in an organized and efficient manner, consists of three basic parts: the idea, the viewpoint, and the key terms. Once introduced to students, these three parts can be easily used throughout the year (or years) to refer to basic areas within the composition process. This method of…

Intended for adaptation by teachers to suit their students' and their own strengths, this guide is a series of thematic units intended to encourage meaningful language use in an enjoyable and serious atmosphere in the ninth grade classroom. The guide includes many reading and writing activities that can be used in both the specific contexts in…

In presenting courses to students, teachers should acknowledge opposition to their educational choices. Discussions of the bases and possible consequences of choices may--and should--lead students to ask for more freedom and more options. Students understand that teachers must evaluate them, so if teachers offer as much leeway as they can,…

A modified version of Sylvia Ashton-Warner's approach to literacy training, originally developed to teach Maori children, is described. The adapted method was used in Ecuador in an international literacy education program. With this method, rather than using a text, learners are taught written words important to their lives and are encouraged to…

John Reiff's conceptual framework regarding conflicting views of peace provides insight into interpersonal communication which can be successfully applied to conflicts in writing conferences and has already been used at the Colorado College Writing Center. First, a tutor or writer using the "Peace through Strength" frame of reference…

A group of four brief papers provides ideas for teachers of writing and reading. "Writing to Learn" (Osvaldo Grijalva) focuses on writing as a process emphasizing experience and participation, and compares the traditional approach to writing instruction with a learning-process-oriented approach. "Teachers' Corner" (Rogelio Chavira) lists possible…

The two components of this document are: (1) a brief position paper; and (2) a related but independent bibliography of references on using computers in reading/writing instruction. The paper presents six recommendations for the intelligent use of computers in the teaching of reading and composition, discussing the guidelines of the International…

Writer-teachers in the classroom offer two characteristics central to teaching students to write. The first is the writer's concern and respect for the students' own language and experience, and the second is the writer's broadly conceived sense of audience in the classroom. Writers try to maintain the connection between their students' own…

Having students compile annotated bibliographies can promote collaborative learning. For example, when a class on writing across the curriculum was asked to survey the writing emphasis of courses in various departments at the University of Arizona, cooperation and collaboration were integral to the overall project. Students had individual…