Presents a study of the process and the product in the early writing attempts of two children. Examines some of the strategies they use during the intermediate or invented spelling stage. (HTH)

A memorization technique using books recorded on tapes gave nonreading children practice in reading connected discourse and put them in touch with a variety of books. (JH)

Follows a six-year-old boy and his writing-revising experiences at school, demonstrating how his independence as a writer develops. Teacher and peers initiate interactions with the writer as he listens and responds and gradually learns how to discuss writing and learns a sense of the purpose of revision. (HTH)

Writing researchers suggest that children should write stories in order to (1) entertain, (2) foster artistic expression, (3) explore the functions and values of writing, (4) stimulate imagination, (5) clarify thinking, (6) search for identity, and (7) learn to read and write. (HTH)

Describes the development of a beginning writing assessment and defines the criteria used for evaluation. Provides a checklist of evaluation criteria, divided according to three developmental stages: beginning writing or readiness, transition, and composition. (AEA)

Describes an approach to writing instruction in which students write in journals each day and the teacher responds in writing to each student entry. Tells the positive effects that the ongoing writing dialogues have on students' writing and personal development. (ET)

Describes ERIC resources that present research on children's language usage and development and that suggest activities for the promotion of language development. (ET)

Shares the experiences of one teacher as she implements process writing in her classroom. (MG)

Focuses on literacy and mathematics and shows how fourth graders worked through "My Travels with Gulliver," an innovative unit that integrated literature, writing, and mathematics so that children could learn concepts across the curriculum. (MG)

In this article, the author relates the effectiveness of using poetry in his classroom. He relates how students who initially thought poetry as "sappy" have somehow changed their perceptions as they begin to learn more about it. Through various poems, these students came to see how poetry can be a catalyst for a provocative inquiry…

Language arts educators who teach Latino English language learners know that part of their job is to help students learn to distinguish between the vernacular varieties of Spanish (or Mandarin, or Portuguese, or Swahili), English they use at home, and the school varieties of language expected in the classroom and in other professional and…

Describes one third grader's development as a writer as she participated in classroom writing workshops (peer and teacher feedback) and, in particular, her development as a reviser of her writing. (HTH)

Discusses how one teacher used writing--her own writing as well as that of her graduate students--to learn, about student interests, their writing attitudes, and what a writer really is. Describes the use of dialogue journals, use of excerpted entries for class handouts, and the use of writing for more constructive student assessment. (HTH)

Discusses how microcomputers can stimulate invention in composition, through electronic mail, text analysis, and word processing programs. Describes two exploratory studies designed to examine the feasibility of using a word processor for language experience and sentence-combining activities in the elementary school classroom. (HTH)

Among the techniques used by successful teacher-writers such as Herbert Kohl, Phillip Lopate, and James Herndon in teaching writing are the use of extensive speaking activities, the accommodation of different writing habits, the admission that writing is difficult, and the use of varied media. (ET)