Presents ideas on writing instruction for teachers of mathematics, physics, accounting, biology, and social studies. Contains guidelines for designing writing assignments in various content areas. (EL)

This manual is intended for instructors who wish to help students improve their writing skills. Part 1 of the manual which is divided into three sections details reasons why students have problems with writing, and includes examples of some faulty constructions. The final section includes: (1) a summary of strategies for improving student writing;…

Describes a freshman composition assignment in which students create fictional figures and approach a final biography about the figure through a series of shorter essays. (HTH)

Suggests using poetry's short short forms for a methodical and rapid series of writing assignments that emphasize both careful writing at the sentence level and overall planning and respect for form. (HTH)

Describes one method of introducing journal writing to a junior high school class and offers a number of journal writing assignments. (MM)

Describes how teachers can use the Bayeux Tapestry as the basis for writing games in many disciplines. Offers guidelines for conducting introductory lectures and preliminary investigations. Presents a series of writing games for the following disciplines: Art, Communications, English/Language Arts/Foreign Languages, History/Social Sciences, Home…

Based on recent findings in writing research, this document offers the following recommendations on how teachers can improve the writing skills of their students: (1) spend time on activities that require real writing rather than short answers and fill-in-the-blank exercises; (2) have students spend more time putting their thoughts on paper in a…

Intended for teachers, students, and for anyone who is dissatisfied with his or her understanding of writing, this book is focused on practical exercises and experiments. The first section of the book, "What Writing Is," consists of two chapters of primary interest to teachers, and provides a general orientation to the document's approach. The…

Explains how to involve students in a composition unit that requires them to complete writing assignments from various points of view. (DF)

Presents sequential approach to writing instruction that draws on power of rhetoric to help students connect with real world. Exercises focus on country's literacy problem and allow students to work with all kinds of discourse in logical sequence while learning to summarize, to analyze their own and their classmates' styles, and to work with…

Describes a writing assignment that leads students to see the complexities of cause and effect relationships by having them analyze a complicated court case and decide who is right and who is wrong in the case. (FL)

To force students--at the very beginning of the writing process--to be aware of audience and to gain insight into their own writing, in-class writing and sharing exercises can be invaluable. For example, students can present to the class their subject for an upcoming paper, with the class responding on paper to such questions as: (1) What do you…

Describes a writing assignment based on the main character of a novel, an autobiography, or a biography about mental illness. Requests students to describe the characters' symptoms, to provide a diagnosis, to suggest a treatment plan, and to describe the treatment received. Notes the assignment promotes critical thinking and empathy for the…

Written for those who want to write poems but are not sure how to start, this book presents 20 short exercises plus short pieces ("written talk") about poetry. The exercises in the book are designed to be completed in about 10 weeks. The types of poems in the 20 exercises include "found" and "headline" poems (which…

Designed to combine the science and the art of teaching composition, this series of assignments encourages junior high and high school writing students to explore tone, original visual images, point of view, and other literary techniques. One assignment asks students to write a number of paragraphs alternately using sarcasm, humor, melancholy, and…