The elementary school teacher faces unique challenges with struggling writers, whose writing differs from that of more skilled students in both process and product. This book demonstrates how process writing and strategy instruction can be integrated to help young writers untangle the complicated writing process. The book introduces its readers to…

This article describes the application of a proofreading mnemonic learning strategy for proofreading creative writing assignments. The mnemonic--Ninja Turtles Counting Pizza Toppings--reminds students to check their work for name, title, capitalization, punctuation, and transition words. Application of the strategy, possible pitfalls, and…

Examines the reasons why a child's writing gets bogged down and discusses ways in which the child can be gently encouraged to take writing risks. Also included are descriptions of writing exercises designed to stretch student creativity. (GLR)

Argues for teaching students to write leads that stress unusual story features and can be used as a peg to hang the rest of the story on. Recommends the use of student writing models, accounts by professional writers about lead writing, and instruction in the rhetorical strategy of contrast/dissonance. (PAA)

An effective way to conduct writing conferences and support primary students in writing is to find questions that encourage more thinking and writing as they work. Four strategies include: avoiding yes/no questions, encouraging students to value work, evaluating many writing samples, and refocusing in conferences. The paper offers sample writing…

Deliberately writing badly can be an effective way to learn to write better because knowing when writing is bad is an essential element in knowing when it's good. There are distinct advantages to encouraging students to learn the rules by breaking them. Deliberately doing it wrong removes the threat of failure. Students are playing; they are…

This book is meant as a resource that can be used by experienced writing teachers as a practical reference when planning writing lessons. The book includes a sequence of instruction, lesson ideas, enrichment options, literature and poetry connections, student samples, and all the ready-to-use materials teachers need to implement the…

This handbook seeks to provide a practical, readable guide to teaching writing across a broad range of ages and grade levels (K-8). The handbook's seven chapters cover each stage of the writing process in detail, from setting a purpose for writing to drafting, revising, editing, and producing a "finished" product. Its goal is to provide…

To teach writing well, teachers need three things: first, they have to understand writing itself, as well as writing pedagogy; second, they need to be writers themselves; and third, they need to know how to communicate their knowledge about writing effectively to their students. This book is based on the premise that writing ability--and teaching…

Noting that when students are immersed in reading and writing poetry they benefit from revisions in writing and learn to critically analyze text, this book outlines the ways that poetry workshops can excite students' interest. Chapter 1, "Laying a Foundation for Poetry Workshop" defines poetry workshop and explains its value in the reading and…

Presents a rationale for writing in social studies and sample writing activities. Suggests that writing actively involves students in learning, providing another mode for encoding information, and improving writing skills. Includes strategies for writing in social studies. Argues that social studies is an especially rich content area for…

Presents three activities to help primary students come up with writing ideas. The first helps students share ideas and see patterns in topics. The second has students discuss topics in groups to determine a variety of potential writing topics. The third has students review their topics and compare them with their classmates' topics. (SM)

Middle school teacher describes a framework that gives inexperienced, anxious writers the confidence to write. The process, called doing prompts, stems from analyzing prompts or writing assignments that outline the topic for a piece of writing. The process involves analyzing the prompt being called for, completing a graphic organizer, composing…

This article describes how computer center sign-up sheets encouraged preschool children with a variety of disabilities to make visible advances in their emergent writing skills over the years. The children progressed from making scribbles to making recognizable letter-symbols on the sign-up sheets. Tips for creating sign-up sheets are provided.…

Written by a workplace literacy teacher, this writing curriculum guide contains information, reflections, and student handouts for teaching writing to adult students. Topics covered include motivation to write, misconceptions about writing, the writing process (rehearsal, drafting, revision, editing, and publishing), spelling, and voice. (KC)