Provided and discussed are examples of children's writing that can be valued aesthetically. Teachers should help children evaluate their own writing processes and products. This self-evaluation will help children develop their own creativity and make them more able to appreciate the writing of others. (RM)

Describes activities for an elementary school library media center that are centered around folktales with forest settings, including people as well as animals and plants which inhabit the forest. Highlights include reading and discussing folklore, descriptive writing exercises, small group activities, and examples of 12 literary characters. (LRW)

Aimed at elementary school teachers interested in promoting their students' enjoyment of and skill in writing, this guide offers a number of ideas for writing activities. The guide focuses on the creative use of language and suggests ways in which students can be stimulated to write poems and stories, create metaphors, write descriptions of people…

This curriculum guide is designed to aid in the planning and execution of a writing course for verbally gifted elementary school students. The course is designed for students ranging in age from 8-11 years whose verbal reasoning skills are at least 3 years above grade level. The course instructs students in the fundamentals of communication…

Image has always been important to the powerful. Their portraits have traditionally been designed to impress people with the gravity of the subject, but changing sensibilities and media have tended to introduce more intimacy and spontaneity. Creating visual and literary representations of people has proved to be an enduring human activity. This…

This report establishes a foundation of information about how children in classroom settings develop visual literacy. Data was gathered during five 45-minute sessions with a second and a fourth grade classroom during which children looked at pictures in four versions of the Noah's Ark tale. The intent was to elicit whatever children chose to say…

Visual literacy--seeing with insight--enables child viewers of pictures to examine elements such as color, line, shape, form, depth, and detail to see what relations exist both among these components and between what is in the picture and their previous visual experience. The viewer can extract meaning and respond to it, either by talking or…

THIS BOOK PROVIDES TEACHERS WITH SUGGESTIONS FOR STIMULATING YOUNG WRITERS TO CREATE IMAGINATIVE COMPOSITIONS CONTAINING VERSATILE VOCABULARY WORDS AND GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS. THE SUGGESTIONS ARE GROUPED INTO FIVE CHAPTERS--(1) "SPINNING IMAGINATIVE THOUGHTS" IS DESIGNED TO ASSIST TEACHERS IN FOSTERING PUPILS' FLEXIBLE THINKING PROCESSES TOWARD THE…

This anthology of children's writing from two Infant, 10 Junior, two Modern, and two Grammar schools in the West Riding of Yorkshire focuses attention on the child's powers of expression rather than on his technical accomplishments . The work from each school is prefaced by a statement from the teacher describing the circumstances under which the…

Creative writing provides a healthy outlet for childrens' personal problems and feelings, often presents them with satisfying solutions to their psychological needs, and gives the students an important sense of success and personal accomplishment. Factors conducive to self-expression include stimulation of the student through the teacher's reading…

Topics suggested by 101 elementary school teachers in Illinois, intended for teachers of writing in the elementary grades (also adaptable for junior and senior high school classes), are divided into the following categories: (1) Description (e.g., Me, My World, My Dreams); (2) Characterization (e.g., Personal, Plant and Animal); (3) Dramatization…

Demonstrations that can be used to lead students to wonder and write about basic scientific principles are presented. Each demonstration includes the concept demonstrated, a list of materials, and procedures. Concepts include density and temperature of liquids, contracting matter with heat, atmospheric pressure, dramatic color changes, fireproof…

THIS COURSE DESCRIPTION RECOUNTS A FOURTH-GRADE TEACHERS EXPERIENCE OF MOTIVATING AND ASSISTING INNER-CITY SLUM CHILDREN TO DEVELOP COMPOSITION SKILLS AND INCLUDES THE THREE UNITS SHE TAUGHT--(1) "LEARNING TO BE SPECIFIC" AND "LEARNING TO DESCRIBE SENSE IMPRESSIONS," (2) "LEARNING TO DESCRIBE PEOPLE," AND (3)…

This document describes an art curriculum designed for elementary level students of Catholic schools. The curriculum aims to encourage student creativity and self expression as advocated by pre-Discipline Based Art Education (DBAE) art programs while presenting the subject matter emphasis of DBAE programs. Lesson suggestions are given for each of…

Based upon the conviction that children can be taught many of the aspects of writing unique to the preparation of professional writers, this book offers ideas for the teaching of creative writing to children. "Creative" writing is defined and its values for children are discussed. Specific suggestions to promote imaginative writing are proposed in…