Process and product are always in tension. In authentic writing, they can be messy and hard to assess. Because writing is recursive and generative, every word written opens new possibilities. Not only that, but writing is influenced by ability, time allowed, task definition, rhetorical situation, relationship to reading, and helpful thinking…

Classroom community is an integral part of facilitating a safe and supportive learning environment for students. Teachers, architects of community, recognize the importance of encouraging collaboration and respect among students in the classrooms and schools, and the value of nurturing atmospheres of respect. Teachers who are intentional about…

Structured opportunities for reflective writing allow students to polish their writings and to reflect actively on their written creations, while encouraging clearer and more honest writing products. In addition, the use of reflective writing can transform students as they begin to incorporate metacognition, or thinking about their thinking, into…

In this article, the author shares how she envisioned and created a writing assignment for a ninth-grade English course. The writing project is a class novel comprised of short stories, one written by each student. In the writing assignment, seniors compile their favorite writings from any class in any year of high school and write reflections…

"Authenticity," "intrinsic motivation," "confidence," and "student choice." More than just jargon, these ideas are essential for student achievement. Facing the pressures of mandated standards and assessments, teachers often replace activities that allow for student choice and multiple outcomes with…

Although interest plays a large role in motivation and confidence, we need a clearer understanding of how teachers and classroom practices can influence students' interest for the act of writing. Rebecca L. Lipstein and K. Ann Renninger studied the perceptions of 178 students in grades 7, 8, and 9 to develop this understanding. They offer…

Capitalizing on students' interest in a local newspaper story, a research and writing project is developed that resulted in ninth-grade students finding their voice and power through writing. Although not being able to see the impact of their writing on their audiences, the students felt the impact of being given the respected distinction of…

Describes nine prewriting activities using supermarket tabloids as the model for producing a newspaper on mythology. (RS)

Explains a four-stage formula that teachers at all levels may use to give students a flexible, practical, and relatively foolproof procedure for generating a literary thesis and its support. (RL)

Describes a group of teachers who worked with multigenre possibilities as an alternative to traditional research papers, while trying to teach some principles of research. Details how the students were offered three options: a screenplay, a multi-genre paper, or a monologue. Outlines the successes and failures of each project. (PM)

Student teaching in New York City on September 11, 2001, forced the author to scrap her carefully planned lessons. Instead, she designed a unit to address the urgent needs of the ninth graders in her care. In this article, the author describes the poetry unit she designed to help students deal with the grieving process and allow them a way to talk…

Presents research on using small groups to help students think and reason about literature. Examines various small-group activities in ninth grade English classrooms. Analyzes effective and ineffective small-group work. Concludes that effective small-group work requires coherent activities that result in the sustained production of student…