The article describes a student peer-evaluation activity in writing which not only saves the teacher's grading time and energy but also increases students' creativity and style while they learn to edit their work. (CB)

Indicates that using highlighters to mark errors produced a 76% class improvement in removing comma errors and a 95.5% improvement in removing apostrophe errors. Outlines two teaching procedures, to be followed before introducing this tool to the class, that enable students to remove errors at this effective rate. (JD)

Presented are generic structures, called goal and problem/solution frames, for psychologically-based historical explanations. Although intended primarily to help authors write a history that can be easily understood and remembered, the frames can also be used by teachers to organize classroom presentations and by students for textbook study. (RM)

Described are strategies that help writing-disabled students improve handwriting skills (e.g., provide models, use prompting and fading techniques, teach proofing skills) and strategies that allow students to circumvent handwriting problems so they can concentrate on the subject matter content (e.g., typewriters, computers, oral reports and…

Describes using meditation to write with greater concentration, continuity, and depth, at any level of writing skill. Describes how to consciously cultivate the ability to focus, follow, and trace ideas through writing. (SR)

Three methods of teaching spelling in classrooms are reviewed and critiqued from the standpoint of the poor speller. Activities vary in the extent to which they draw children's attention to phonological, orthographic, and meaning patterns. Activities and modifications shown to enhance the performance of poor spellers are presented. (Contains…

Noting that tutor training remains a persistent concern of writing center administrators, this paper contains the transcript of a tutor training videotape produced by the writing center at Merrimack College (Massachusetts) to augment the center's tutor training. The main parts of the tape transcript are titled (1) "Be Attentive"; (2)…

To write cohesively means doing many things at once--wrestling with ideas, balancing form and function, pushing words this way and that, attending to syntax and diction, and employing imagery and metaphor until a coherent message emerges. Though full of promise, student writing typically lacks cohesion, and the question is whether the fault lies…

Maintains that the five-paragraph essay formula confuses and alienates students and undermines the basic goals of writing instruction. Advocates developing a repertoire of alternatives for teaching form. Suggests that using the metaphor of the essay as journey is one such teaching alternative. (SR)

Describes the author's experiences when she added an intensive journalistic writing component to an honors English class. Details how the course can be designed to prepare students for the Advanced Placement Language and Composition Test. (MM)

Describes the author's experiences teaching two semesters of an advanced placement intensive writing class. Discusses problems encountered in the course, and notes curriculum differences between the first and second semester classes. (MM)

This paper examines typical problems that students of English as a Second Language (ESL) have in expository writing, namely those involving classification criteria and hierarchical categories. It also provides a set of guidelines for the practice of classification skills as well as specific classification exercises. (18 references) (MDM)

The relationship between writing-across-the-curriculum (WAC) programs and the first-year writing program has always been a delicate one. Although some WAC requirements have been formalized, faculty participation in programs is still largely voluntary. At Cornell University (New York), for example, teachers must require at least 6 and no more than…

Argues that literature can be valuable in the technical writing class, focusing students' attention by: (1) providing useful models for students; and (2) allowing students to see how language operates in representations of particular organizations or cultures. (MG)

This article provides specific recommendations for teaching students with learning disabilities how to use a story grammar cueing system for improving writing. The article emphasizes the importance of individualizing instruction and teaching for generalization, and discusses the purpose of the system and methods of assessment. (JDD)