This article used a writing sample that contained 27 sentence-level errors of the type found by corporate America to be annoying and bothersome. Five categories of errors were included in the sample: grammar, punctuation, spelling, writing style, and business communication concepts. Students in a written business communication course were asked…

An interest in conditions of practice and feedback led to a study which examined the effect on writing by elementary school students of (1) two types of practice, both similar to "free focused writing"; (2) practice at a frequency greater than once a week; and (3) a procedure by which students measured their own performance and provided themselves…

An instructional sequence based largely on combining B. Bloom's six-level, instructional related hierarchy with J. Piaget's causal sequence of cognitive skill development is utilized in a three-day unit on the correct use of commas in lists. The sample unit follows G. Torkelson's guidelines for instructional development that include outlining the…

Observation and interviews of the children in two third grade classrooms--one in which children write frequently and learn punctuation skills in context, and one in which children learn punctuation in isolation--suggest that punctuation skills are learned more effectively in context. In interviews the "writers" could explain an average of 8.66…

In this K-8 writing skills curriculum, developed in Skokie (Illinois), the objectives are presented in a "mastery" format so that student achievement can be assessed. The document begins with a statement of philosophy, and guidelines for teachers to use in implementing the program, and then describes the curriculum format, which focuses on the…

Describes a teaching method that uses Molly Bloom's soliloquy from James Joyce's "Ulysses" to teach punctuation to freshman writing students. Argues that the assignment helps students discover their power as orderers. (EL)

Presents a potpourri of classroom techniques used by 28 teachers to develop skills in paragraph composition, public speaking, classroom discussion, the examination of specific literary works, and other language arts activities. (RL)

Describes an assignment designed to dispel prospective English teachers' dichotomous ideas about language ("right" or "wrong"); gain a sense that more than one dialect could be accepted; and understand that the variations from the handbook rules ("errors") might even be rhetorically based. (TB)

In order to improve their students' skills in self-expression, teachers should emphasize the importance of tone, an awareness of what is being said, and an appreciation of the effect of words on an audience. They need to foster in their students an interest in and a perspective on language, its history, and the human and social attitudes which…

Error pattern analysis is a teaching technique that emphasizes identifying, classifying, and keeping a frequency count on only those errors actually occurring in students' writing. Application of error pattern analysis in a workshop format requires three steps: preparing an error pattern analysis, teaching from this analysis, and integrating it…

This paper describes a procedure designed to enhance the effectiveness of teaching writing skills in intermediate and advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) classes. The procedure consists of a correction sheet and a testing technique. The student prepares a written assignment which is corrected by the instructor with regard to the student's…

Offers six teaching activities suggested by teachers: addressing vocabulary development; punctuation awareness; building background knowledge for English literature; a system for notetaking; a month-long unit on African folktales; and an Alzheimer patient's response to children's literature. (SR)

In 2 studies, 36 junior high students and 66 intermediate-level students with mild disabilities worked together to complete computerized instructional activities on capitalization and punctuation. The intervention produced significant increases in behaviors that were positively related with learning but did not produce significant increases in…

A study in which the patterns and possibilities of free modifiers in the writing habits of three students, who were rated low in language ability, is described. The primary purpose of the study was to determine if complicated syntactic elements used as free modifiers could be lifted from the complex subject of grammar and be presented as…

Discusses nine orthodoxies, including the idea that spelling, grammar, and punctuation are unimportant, that decrease teacher effectiveness. (DF)