Describes how generating effective advertising copy affords students practice in aspects of persuasive writing, such as developing a thesis, refuting counter-arguments, and writing in a comparison-contrast mode. Notes that this approach helps students negotiate the problematic shift from expressive to persuasive discourse without losing their…

Provides an outline for an exercise for junior high and high school students that encourages them to develop a philosophy of life in the form of resolutions, similar to those written by Jonathan Swift, Benjamin Franklin, and Jonathan Edwards. Cites examples of resolutions written by students. (PA)

Describes how the author and her high school English students begin their study of Thoreau's "Walden" by mining the text for quotations to inspire their own writing and discussion on the topic, "How does Thoreau speak to you or how could he speak to someone you know?" (SR)

Provides a sequence of assignments, and the theory upon which they are based, for composition courses that include film. Includes ordering information and an abstract for the film "Silent Snow, Secret Snow," upon which the assignments are based. (TJ)

Recommends a series of reading and writing assignments designed to help students develop style and tone in their writing. (TJ)

Presents a variety of reading, writing, art, and discussion activities to keep students interested in studying "Romeo and Juliet." Describes using the film version of the play as a companion piece to unify the oral reading. (RS)

Explains a descriptive analysis exercise based on Chapter 99 of "Moby Dick." Notes that students are given a description of a coin, asked to draw the coin, and then freewrite about what they and their classmates have drawn. States that the exercise is intended to illustrate the relationship between objective and subjective description.…

Describes how showing a film version of a novel, short story, or play after a class has read and talked about the text can be an interesting way to encourage students to think about the text and develop a critical stance. Offers examples from two texts and their film versions. (SR)

Presents an initial minicollaboration exercise with which to begin collaborative projects. Notes that students discuss how to respond to a range of comments and concerns of prior students to collaboration, thus shifting learning and discovery to students from the very first step. (SR)

Describes a writing assignment (useful for junior high through college age students) that seeks to improve students' descriptive writing through a set of class writing assignments using visual and concrete objects. Allows students to gain awareness, gain knowledge and discuss it, and ask questions as a body of learners rather than in isolation.…

Describes an assignment in which students read a travelogue excerpt and then must determine specified aspects of the writer's character based on evidence from the text. Notes how this exercise shapes students' awareness of how character influences writing, and how biases and assumptions influence reading. (SR)

Describes a way to help high school and college students improve their critical thinking skills. States that the assignment begins by reading a collection of essays, viewing of videos and slides, and then reacting and assessing materials covered in class. (PA)

Describes a four-step model for teaching the techniques of library research: book report and evaluation, comparison of two articles on the same subject by different authors, comparison of two points of view on four or five articles, and full research project. (TJ)

Describes a group activity for writing and evaluating poetry on "pi." Notes that the activity worked well in a high-school geometry class and that the students in the class had fun with it. (RS)

Describes a writing exercise for middle schoolers to college students that encourages students to become more aware of language, especially word choice and audience in their writing, by writing lipograms (compositions from which all words containing a certain letter are omitted). Notes it can be used as a pre-revision activity, part of a poetry…