For the past few years the author has been studying the writing lives of teachers, first analyzing the contributions of teachers to National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) journals for the ten-year period between 1998 and 2008 and then surveying and interviewing teacher-authors whose works appeared during that period to learn more about…

In this article, the author talks about the use of punctuation and describes a study that confirmed her growing sense that all students need exposure to and instruction on the full repertoire of punctuation. In an attempt to assess how much of the eleventh graders know about the way professionals use punctuation, all teachers at Webster Thomas…

Entering into a century of conversations from "English Journal," the authors read, and reread, the words of many mentors, colleagues, and friends, discovering some voices they did not know and rediscovering many voices they did. In surveying "English Journal", the authors highlight voices from the past, of the present, and for the future to offer…

In this high-accountability era--one in which there is an expanding movement to condemn teachers for the failures of their schools--teachers teach students who believe writing is primarily an act of complying to a prompt, likely for a state accountability assessment or the troubling 25-minute essay that constitutes less than half of the writing…

Today's high-stakes testing world has changed the English classroom a great deal, and perhaps one of the most dramatically affected areas has been that of creative writing. As all English teachers well know, creative writing does not easily lend itself to a multiple-choice test or a five-paragraph essay. As the authors began the push to prepare…

As teachers, the time they get to talk with peers, their friends, is an important time because there is never enough of it. Why not allow students the opportunity to chat with friends--the same courtesy the author appreciated in meetings with peers? Through talk, students can improve their conversational skills, which in turn would help their…

A secondary English teacher in the Bronx, Marisa Harford describes several self-reflective activities she has designed to improve students' writing skills. Beginning a new school year with activities like Harford's can focus students' efforts all year. (Contains 1 figure.)

The author, a high school teacher and forensics coach, describes ways to teach writing--including on-demand essays--that draw on successful practices she developed in coaching. Students learn the importance of using personal conviction and qualified thesis statements to build arguments, as well as learning "The Debater Four-Step," an effective…

Discusses 10 misconceptions about writing, including (1) the theory of divine inspiration, (2) the theory of creative padding, (3) the theory of profound authorities, and (4) the theory of predestined puppetry. (EL)

Presents a humorous account of possible dissertation topic and its rejection. (EL)

Presents citations, descriptions, and critiques of two current volumes that focus on helping writers to develop better writing skills. (HB)

Describes "Grammar in a Nutshell"--a visual-auditory-kinesthetic approach to traditional textbook grammar, usage, and mechanics concepts. Notes that the idea behind Nutshell is that as the students slowly mature in other writing skills they can also grow in their understanding of how to use, how to handle their language, not only correctly but…

The areas of reading comprehension theory that provide insights for writers are examined and the way in which a basic knowledge of reading theory provides a backdrop for explicating certain conventions and responding to certain problem area in student writing are explored. With the examples of successful classroom activities, it is shown how a…

States that incorporating a short poetry or drama unit in a composition course can stimulate both students and teachers and that the benefits include more creative thinking, better attitudes toward writing and assignments, and sharpened revision skills. (EL)

Describes the WEED program, in which students write every day but not all papers receive a teacher evaluation. Discusses getting started, follow-up, collecting papers and grading, incentives, and the results of the program. (EL)