This paper reports a study on children's classroom-based collaborative creative writing. Based on socio-cultural theory, the central aim of the research was to contribute to current understanding of young children's creativity, and describe ways in which peer collaboration can resource, stimulate and enhance classroom-based creative writing. The…

Presents a procedure writing students can use, either singly or in groups, to exploit the general knowledge they have of common objects, artifacts, and institutions. Describes the use of a matrix to integrate knowledge about realms, or areas of interest, and concerns, or problems. (MM)

This article describes a class activity for use with students (ages 8 through 15) having moderate-to-mild disabilities. Children work through feelings of grief and loss by constructing a "class book" from pictures and articles depicting loss or grief. Students use the book as a basis for personally reflecting on and writing about the…

Discusses transitions to and from specific activities (i.e., free choice time, group activities, clean-up time, outside play, meals, naps, and using bathrooms) as well as children's arrivals and departures from the preschool or day care center. (CB)

Presents strategies to increase the flow of writing so that students become more attuned to the usefulness of words in capturing thoughts, feelings, and impressions. (RL)

Discusses the handling of groups. The teacher should be aware of variables: size of group, composition (by ability, needs, etc.), seating arrangement, group structure, etc. Cooperative, competitive or individual work should be used, depending on the learning goal. The teacher must be perceptive, flexible, and must have good organizing ability.…

Traditional problems in language instruction include competing methodological approaches, excessive cognitive content, and ineffectual teacher and student roles. A new combination of cognitive, direct, and confluent methodological approaches uses classroom time for acquisition activities, reduces grammar learning requirements, and gives students…

Presents suggestions for developing a thematic teaching unit to help students overcome fear by learning about the courage of survivors in literature. The article recommends reading a story aloud, discussing courage and survival of the characters, and developing group-guided reading activities that involve individual or group projects. (SM)

Offers an assignment which heightens student awareness of media effects and appropriateness through the simulation experience of planning and executing a persuasive campaign using print, audio and audio-visual media. (MH)

Describes an approach to teaching narrative poetry writing to tenth-grade students. (RL)

Suggests ways of bringing poetry into the elementary classroom: matching poems and students; making poetry readings a regular activity; encouraging students to read, recite, or perform poetry; inviting special guests to perform poetry; celebrating holidays, seasons, and special occasions with poems; providing an audience for student poetry; and…

Daily warm-up exercises are advocated as a means of bridging the gap between previously unrelated activities outside the classroom and immersion into the second language, relaxing the class, and establishing a mood for communication. Variety, careful preparation, assuring that the students understand the activity, feeling free to discontinue an…

Describes a game which can be used to acquaint students with the basic elements of narrative fiction. (DD)

Building a railroad or writing about it in class takes a lot of organization. (Editor)

Describes one elementary teacher's strategies to help students learn spelling using cooperative learning groups. Mixed-ability groups of four children are established, and students take turns being the caller, recorder, reader, and checker. Students retain more because of the amount of repetition. A weekly classroom spelling schedule is presented.…