Three installments of "Writing Assignment of the Month," a regular feature of the National Council of Teachers of English publication, "Notes Plus," are presented in this compilation. The articles describe writing exercises which have proven to be successful in the classroom. The first article gives suggestions for introducing students to mapping, a prewriting technique which uses graphic representations of information as an aid in organizing ideas for written and oral compositions. An example of mapping and a student essay derived from a map are included. The second article offers detailed instructions for a two-week writing unit which uses comparisons of film critiques from a variety of publications to teach writing and research skills. The guidelines include objectives and day-by-day instructions. The final article describes two methods of using writing as a means of enhancing learning across the curriculum. The methods, speculative and double-entry journal writing, involve stopping frequently while reading in order to write down observations and thoughts. It is stressed that this type of writing is a process rather than product. (DC)