Describes a two-year urban school-university collaboration on improving writing instruction for fifth graders. The project, named Rethink/Rewrite, focuses on students reexamining information from their social studies textbooks after studying alternative materials about the same historical periods by African Americans and native peoples. (MMU)

This article considers the development in understanding of aspects of formative assessment of students' writing at Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) by a group of trainee English teachers. An "analysis and application" approach to writing development, which requires students to master categories and processes then apply them, is outlined and…

Discusses the use of individual and group journals as a way to develop students' abilities to critically analyze reading materials in a college level sociology course. Describes the process by which the journals are written and evaluated. Contends that the learning strategy improved students' analytical abilities and writing skills. (CFR)

A teaching team from Fall Creek Valley Middle School in Indianapolis, Indiana sought to improve their students' writing skills by collecting writing samples in portfolios in each of their subject areas. This approach allowed the eighth-grade students to assess their progress as writers, see connections between the disciplines, and understand the…

Examines the impact of the information revolution on teaching library research skills in a small liberal arts college. Proposes a model for collaborating librarians and English faculty that integrates writing strategies, library research tools, and multimedia into English literature. Includes course schedule and a bibliography of print and…

This paper presents proven strategies and benefits of integrating technology into the language-arts curriculum and instruction. Benefits include creating a risk-free learning environment; increasing student empowerment; providing the opportunity for students to practice skills in meaningful contexts; and increasing interest in reading and writing.…

A middle school teacher of writing to learners of English as a Second Language describes two techniques used to improve student participation and guide the writing process. The first is to select a writing topic to which all students can relate. In this case, the teacher asked students, in a class discussion, to give their own definitions of…

Explores the usefulness of an alternative writing approach using a spatial-verbal technique called node-link mapping. In this process the student diagrams nodes, which contain key ideas and propositions, and links, which convey relations such as, leads to, part of, and example. Includes diagrams and examples. (MJP)

This report discusses the effectiveness of strategy-based writing instruction for adolescents with language-based learning disabilities. The instruction is being provided to Canadian students in grade eight who are at least two grade equivalents below their peers in reading and writing ability. The students are taught a paraphrasing strategy that…

Designed for use by technical and vocational education teachers, this monograph describes techniques for combining writing across the curriculum strategies with reading and study skills approaches. The teaching and classroom techniques presented were developed as part of the Writing and Reading in the Technologies (WRIT) project undertaken by a…

Asserts that social studies is an integrated field of study that calls for organizing the curriculum in a holistic manner. Maintains that the whole-language movement, which involves thinking about reading and writing as integrated, reciprocal processes, forms a natural partnership with social studies instruction. (CFR)

Designed to assist program planners and administrators at community colleges in initiating a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) program or determining the future direction of one already in existence, this sourcebook provides 15 articles on various aspects of WAC theory and practice. The following articles are included: (1) "History of WAC and…

Communicative language teaching (CLT) is compatible with cooperative learning as both promote interaction through peer exchange. Cooperative education can take group work one step further and should therefore be incorporated into English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing classrooms. In English writing classes in a Japanese junior college, formal…

Argues that the combination of collaborative writing and electronic resources can produce a reaffirmation of literacy as a social process. Utilizes feminist theory to equate the postmodernist assumptions regarding the indeterminate nature of language with democratizing influences. Describes a class project where students produced a collaborative,…

An extended-school program for at-risk first graders was designed to accelerate each child's progress in reading and writing over the summer. The instructional framework for the class consisted of independent reading, shared reading, interactive writing, journal writing, a spelling activity, learning centers, guided reading, and reading aloud.…