This issue of "Kansas English" focus on composition and language study, kindergarten through grade six. The articles and authors are "Evaluating Process and Product in Children's Writing" by Robert L. Hillerich, "Written Language Development and Instruction of Elementary School Children" by Lester S. Golub, "From a Reading Desk" by Myrline…

Designed to encourage sustained independent writing, this book demonstrates ways that children were stimulated to invent their own Utopias, their own religions, new ways of fighting wars, and different schools. Contents include the following: "Traveling to an Imaginary Place; "Religion"; "Question of Continuity in Writing"; "War"; "Moving Toward a…

The use of typewriting as a way to reading and language enrichment on the elementary level is discussed and illustrated through reviews of several studies showing practical uses of the typewriter in the overall language arts program. (MF)

A plea for the elimination of required instruction in cursive script from the elementary school curriculum. Difficulties of learning cursive are described as a handicap to student development of composition skills. Greater legibility and comparable speed of printing are cited. (BF)

A study of eight language arts textbooks to determine how well they reflect recent findings regarding the writing process. (DD)

The author discusses the importance of the ability to think logically and solve problems with fundamental communication skills and with the ability to make decisions and adapt to change. Five thinking skills are examined: making decisions, planning and organizing, managing time, proofreading, and using proper language arts composition skills. (CT)

Argues that James Moffett's influential model of a young writer's development is flawed, because it depicts beginning writers as being far more limited than they are. (HTH)

Discusses six ERIC documents reporting computer applications in reading and language arts. (FL)

The craft of writing is accessible to everyone. To revive it will require that students learn more--read more history and literature and philosophy--and think about problems and the ways human beings have responded to the universal dilemmas of life. (MLW)

Team writing and shared ideas are interpersonal experiences that motivate children to write. (JH)

The 1998 "High Schools That Work" (HSTW) assessment contains good and bad news about the reading performance of the 23,900 career-bound students who participated in the assessment at experienced HSTW sites. Based on these findings, this research brief answers the following three questions: What progress are HSTW's sites making in…

Discusses a unit in which students rewrite Ray Bradbury's short stories into short plays, emphasizing the importance of dialog. (RB)

Describes two courses designed to teach basic language arts skills, one involving special admission students at a university and the other involving soldiers. (TO)

Outlined are devices to educate parents about composition concepts," i.e., what there is to learn in learning to write well. (RY)

Describes a study in which students who read widely showed greater improvement in writing after nine weeks than did students who had frequent writing assignments, with the implication that reading should be integral to writing practice. (RW)