Describes an approach that can be used in a business communication course to help students identify some of the complex issues affecting in-house writing. Presents student responses to a writing assignment involving writing non-routine requests (bad news memos) to subordinates. (SG)

Today's communication and information environments create an immense amount of clutter for consumers, but a well crafted advertising campaign can differentiate an organization from its competitors. Persuasion in Advertising is a critical assignment where students apply Aristotle's and Cicero's persuasive techniques to a specific advertising…

The objective of the assignment described here is to allow students to reflect upon and articulate how they have been shaped by their "standpoints" in life. Many times, students are not aware of others' views and cultural upbringing (other than surface-level issues). By examining how Standpoint Theory shapes one's perceptions of their privileges…

Describes how one instructor incorporates daily poetry "breaks" in middle school. Explains that students begin by listening to Eve Merriam's "How to Eat a Poem," then imitate poems first in pantomime, then with sound and action. Notes that students later write and trade poems, and end the term with a poetry festival. (SG)

A Dutch teacher presents reading, film viewing, and writing activities for "Empire of the Sun," J. G. Ballard's autobiographical account of life as a boy in Shanghai and in a Japanese internment camp during World War II (the subject of Steven Spielberg's film of the same name). Includes objectives, procedures, and several literature,…

Students enrolled in composition classes may provide the answer to the dilemma of coming up with a writing topic: work--the "four letter word." Most, if not all, students have already become part of the labor force. The theme of "work" is naturally successful because it centers around a topic students know well, something that…

The 1,175 composition topics that appear in this special edition of the "Illinois English Bulletin" are suggested as possibilities for high school student writing assignments. After a brief statement about how secondary English teachers might use the topics in their classes, the topics are categorized by subject matter and types of composition.…

Multi-textbook college courses demand the use of a systematic expository textbook study technique. As explained in this article, E.S.P. (Enlighten/Study/Preview) is designed to increase speed and ensure accuracy in comprehension by providing the student with continuous feedback of his or her understanding of the material. (Author)

Briefly clarifies two important issues in the teaching of sociology of human sexuality: what a sociological approach to human sexuality entails, and how to help students link course material with the world around them. (Author/AEM)

Offers an approach to using film as an object of analysis for writing classes having no previous knowledge of film terms and techniques. Provides 19 study questions to stimulate identification and a description of a director's techniques to facilitate an interpretation of what the film means. (JG)

Suggests an approach to teaching the poetry of T. S. Eliot.

Describes a reading and writing activity for senior high school students which involves "explicating" a textbook passage. It maintains that the assignment puts an end to superficial reading habits. (JDH)

Discusses problems mildly disabled students often have with their assignments and offers ways teachers' can adapt regular academic content to overcome those problems. (FL)

Inviting students to look, explore, and think, this booklet offers practical ways for teachers to use museums--in particular, the artworks, artifacts, collections, and other materials they contain--as a basis for secondary students' writing. If taking students on field trips is not feasible, educators can adapt most of the activities in the…

When covering persuasion in the basic speech communication course, many textbooks include information on how students can detect logical fallacies in the persuasive attempts of others. It is important to provide students with a hands-on experience that will help them apply their knowledge of logical fallacies so that they can retain and better use…