Providing an overview of some of the effective ways of helping students to develop and improve their spelling skills, this book emphasizes the importance of explicit teaching. The first chapter considers current issues and perspectives in spelling. The second chapter discusses how children acquire spelling skills, and the third chapter discusses…

Drawing on findings from psychology, anthropology, and sociology, this book examines motivation for writing and connects writing with the roles each person plays--in the family, the workplace, and in social and cultural groups including school--and with the lifelong search for potential new roles. As a blueprint for changing the writing of college…

Acknowledging that the process approach to writing instruction is particularly valuable for lower ability students (because carrying a project through from prewriting to publication enhances their self-esteem), this book presents procedures for teaching writing to build student confidence and subsequently to improve student writing. Following an…

This monograph presents the case study of four fifth grade boys involved in a writing program designed to teach reading skills and to address the following questions: (1) Are reading and writing really related in any practical sense? (2) What effects might humane, process-oriented writing instruction have on student achievement, self-esteem, and…

Designed for secondary school English teachers who wish to improve their student's writing, this book offers a philosophy of writing and classroom strategies to make students comfortable with and interested in their own writing. Chapter 1 encourages teachers to set up a "safe," comfortable environment in which their students can create.…