This report describes the development of grade norms for timed-writing performance in two modes of writing: persuasive and descriptive. These norms are based on objective and automatically computed measures of writing quality in grammar, usage, mechanics, style, vocabulary, organization, and development. These measures are also used in the…

To effectively carry out three-way conferences or any form of evaluation that supports individualization and promotes growth, it's important to learn to describe behavior rather than make inferential judgments or diagnoses. Suggestions for writing behavior descriptions were made. (Author/RK)

The author clarifies the distinction between a sound conceptual article and a literature review, outlines the creative process as it applies to written work, and provides "trade secrets" for novice writers on how to enhance their literary creativity and how to confront and solve writing problems. (Author/SR)

This brief digest of the results of the National Assessment of Writing compares the writing abilities of a sample of 17 year olds, in school and out, with an adult sample aged 26 to 35. In writing for social communication, 57% of the adults and 75% of the 17 year olds wrote descriptions that were judged acceptable. When asked to describe an auto…

Form, content, and style are stressed in this quinmester program in the creative writing of short stories. The program, which is offered by the Dade County Public Schools, is designed for students who wish to improve their writing skills in order to compose a structured short story. Among the learning activities suggested by the program are…

Eight ideas to motivate children to write. (CM)

Presents a way of teaching process explanation in a technical writing course. Urges that the assignment ask students to explain a process they have learned from experience or from observation. (TJ)

Children should be encouraged to write on subjects that interest them; their own experiences and observations are their best sources of material. (JD)

A series of papers dealing with the development of writing abilities, focusing on: the child and his reader, the functions of writing, genuine communication, the importance of writing differently for different purposes and audiences, and the growth from the expressive to more specialized and differentiated kinds of writing. (EH)

A report on an attempt to evaluate progress in improving written language in the elementary schools. (Author)

Writing well means communicating successfully. To communicate successfully the message must be accurate, brief, and clear. The basic components of clarity are sentence length, story length, and vocabulary. Creative devices and descriptive writing are discussed. (MLW)

There are two major categories of writing, expository and creative. Expository writing includes descriptive writing (description, report, taking notes, outline, exposition, summary, letter, diary, telegram, and minutes) and argumentative writing (argumentation, essay, and comment). Creative writing includes poem, narration, tale, slogan,…

There is a logical sequence in the steps of a freshman English course, the goal of which is the comprehension of the writing process and a readiness to move forward with that process. Students must first learn prewriting--an outpouring on paper of every thought connected with a given topic. This is followed by selecting ideas, formulating a…

This paper examines technical writing at the high school level and suggests methods of teaching technical writing to students. Such topics are discussed as demonstration, mechanism description, causal analysis, detail, spatial order, and chronological order. It is argued that writing about objects can sharpen a writer's powers of observation and…