A list of points to aid essay writers is suggested as the basis of a marking system for the teacher of English as a foreign language. The checklist, obtained from a book on higher education by Ruth Beard, can be adapted to the English as a foreign language situation. (SW)

Suggestions on how to write a handbook for alumni volunteers are presented. Before putting together a handbook for volunteers, two points need to be defined: the purpose of the handbook and who will read it. The contents should cover the volunteer program, activities and how to run them, etc. (MLW)

The author describes how character wheels can be used to produce writing and literary analysis exercises for adolescents. The character wheel describes a character, an object, or a concept six ways: (1) physical description, (2) thoughts, (3) behavior, (4) speech, (5) setting, and (6) reaction of others. (CH)

The literature on metacognition and students having learning problems is reviewed. Investigations of metacognitive instruction to enhance memory skills, to increase text comprehension, and to improve written expression and math performance are reported. The roles of the teacher and learner in acquiring and controlling the targeted cognitive…

The Incremental Method of teaching writing is described. Students examined the increments of the writing of one student. The method is taught through four assignments: examinations of previous student papers, imitations of the correct components, correction of the faulty components, and analysis of revisions. (MLW)

The theoretical bases of process-oriented approaches for teaching writing to mildly handicapped students are described. Instructional features of such approaches include opportunities for sustained writing, establishment of a writing community, student selection of topics, modeling of the writing process and strategic thinking, reflective thinking…

Assessment of writing skills must focus on the writing product to satisfy four educational functions: identifying unsuccessful writers, planning instruction, monitoring student progress, and providing feedback. Both qualitative and quantitative measures for five important aspects of the writing product are discussed: fluency, content, conventions,…

Describes six types of letter writing activities providing basic writing skill practice that can be incorporated into outdoor education programs. Suggests occasions for writing friendly letters, letters to oneself to describe an experience, letter writing to next year's participants, thank-you letters, pre- and post-evaluation letters, and…

The Success in Reading and Writing Program at a K-2 school in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, teaches children of varied races and abilities to read and write using newspapers, dictionaries, library books, magazines, and telephone directories. These materials help students develop language skills in a failure-free atmosphere. Includes two…

Language arts skills and writing projects can be combined with activities that teach the fundamentals of word processing to improve the language arts curriculum. Suggested lessons cover five writing and editing operations common to most word processing software. (DF)

Little effort has been made to combine the "writing-to-oneself" process with an exercise in creative thinking as an effective way to teach any subject or to learn a given subject. A program to combine writing and a creativity exercise to foster learning for students studying basic economics is described. (MLW)

Journals are proving their worth as tools for learning. Students who keep journals for class purposes can think more clearly about what they learn and can define problems for themselves. The use of a journal for 100 percent of a grade is described. (MLW)

Thomas A. Emmet, a special assistant to the president of Regis College and a leader of how-to seminars on handbooks, recommends organizing the material by dividing it into six chapters by topic. A model outline for the contents of a faculty handbook is presented. (MLW)

Keeping a journal of classroom experiences can help students express their understandings of the concepts they learn in school and how the lessons relate to their own lives. An eight-item reference list is provided. (Author)

Examined the rationale for and uses of electronic mail in the writing class. Indicates that with one computer and a word processing program, an electronic mail system can be set up that will stimulate students' writing and sharpen their communication skills. (JN)