Presents a public service advertisement by the International Paper Company on how to write a business letter and discusses the ad campaign to improve students' literacy. (DD)

Encourages language arts teachers to give students more opportunities to write in order to develop both their reading and their writing skills. (DD)

Alvina Treut Burrows, Kellogg W. Hunt, Richard Lloyd-Jones, and Charles Read comment on significant developments in writing during the 1970s, hopes for the 1980s, and important references dealing with teaching children to write. (DD)

Describes a conversation with a versatile children's artist and writer during a visit to his home on an island off the coast of Maine. Shares his experiences on the power of using and integrating poetry and art in writing. (BAC)

Grammar can have meaning and be of use to the learner depending upon the methods of instruction that are being used. The eight traditional parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverbs, prepositional phrase, conjunction, pronouns, and interjection) can be made useful for learners by giving concrete, semi-concrete, and abstract examples when…

Encourages teachers to view children's writing positively, to see errors not as deficiencies but as signs of growth. (DD)

In many classrooms across North America, teachers face the challenge of how to help the growing number of children who are not native English speakers. This article describes several strategies teachers can use for approaching beginning reading of English with second-language learners. These include: (1) A comprehension-centered curriculum; (2) A…

The author discusses the importance of the ability to think logically and solve problems with fundamental communication skills and with the ability to make decisions and adapt to change. Five thinking skills are examined: making decisions, planning and organizing, managing time, proofreading, and using proper language arts composition skills. (CT)

Argues that James Moffett's influential model of a young writer's development is flawed, because it depicts beginning writers as being far more limited than they are. (HTH)

The craft of writing is accessible to everyone. To revive it will require that students learn more--read more history and literature and philosophy--and think about problems and the ways human beings have responded to the universal dilemmas of life. (MLW)

States that the focus of homework should be a positive social interaction with parents with gradually increasing independent responsibilities. Provides examples of activities for writing, spelling, and speaking homework that provide opportunities for real literary activities in the home. (MG)

Talks with students who share their thoughts and ideas about classroom environments which foster writing for learning. Discusses how teachers influence and affect students' writing environments. (MG)

The history of grammar instruction includes two approaches: the handbook approach, which is practiced today, and the textbook approach. The handbook approach focuses on rules for correct writing and is an error-based view, while the textbook approach would treat grammar holistically and interpretively and would systematically explain new concepts…

Describes what publishers can do to improve textbooks and teaching, and what teachers can do with inadequate textbooks to repair the "faulty" state of language education. Lists nine "knowns" about language education and explains how textbooks can exploit that knowledge within existing constraints. (RS)

Compares the difficulties students face in the junior high years to the obstacles of Odysseus. Notes hierarchical skill levels needed to understand and interpret literature; suggests using different print and nonprint media to improve interest in stories; recommends doing more writing and talking about fewer works. (JG)