This article is an historical study of the understanding of children's writing through "Language Arts". The author and her research team did a content analysis of articles about writing that appeared in "Language Arts" beginning in 1924 through January, 2010. Analysis shows that a major area of tension throughout the history of…

Standards can aid educators as they work to produce strong student writers who can create meaningful and skillfully crafted authentic pieces of writing. This once-a-month, yearlong professional development program, conducted during the school day, shifted a district's kindergarten writing program to a writing workshop model that enabled the…

Describes how a group of teachers of grades three through eight initiated and carried out a project that reformed their school's writing curriculum. (ARH)

Decries the way in which British education has reduced or eliminated the animation or essence of narrative. Explores the features that give narrative importance broader and deeper than the purely literary values customarily given it, and provides a rationale for keeping storytelling in the curriculum to enhance students' writing. (HTH)

Examines the state of the art of research on how spelling should be taught in the schools, the nature of spelling ability, and implications for teaching and further research. (HTH)

Reviews four professional references and two books for instructional materials to help teachers use stories more effectively in the classroom. (MG)

Reviews professional references and instructional materials that focus on language arts instruction. (MM)

Defines and discusses the concepts of empowerment and motivation, and clarifies the relationship between them. Shows how language arts teachers can take advantage of both in developing more effective classroom practices. Gives examples of motivationally sound practices from the domain of writing instruction that might also be construed as examples…

Presents descriptions of influential individuals who have shaped language arts education as it is know today. Elaborates on contributions of: Sylvia Ashton-Warner; Natalie Robinson Cole; Julia Weber Gordon; and Alvina Treut Burrows. (SG)

Offers half a dozen methods for "publishing" or sharing students' written work. These include reader's theatre for students' poetry, medieval manuscript illumination, and computer graphics. (HTH)

Examines some of the assumptions behind the imitation of writing models and questions the power of using this model for improving writing performance. (HTH)

Describes methods developed for a fourth- through sixth- grade writers' workshop designed to teach children to write within certain common structures. Separate workshop sessions dealt with descriptive writing, mood, characterization, adventure stories, tall tales, plays, autobiography, and reporting. (AEA)

Demonstrates a way to encourage students to take risks in their writing. (SR)

Describes the positive attitude toward teaching of a writing instructor who intends to continue teaching in spite of receiving a Newberry award for her book. (HTH)

Reviews materials in the ERIC system that level criticisms at creative writing in the schools and that present suggestions for activities that promote good writing that is also creative. (HTH)