Argues that, although most people dislike writing, instructors can make the task less onerous for young students. Suggests that the presence of both feeling and awareness of an audience can facilitate writing. Includes segments of interviews with professional writers and samples of seven-year-olds' writings. (SG)

Examines materials designed to improve children's writing or composition abilities. Focuses on whether the materials have students use the task/strategy/skill in such a way that they can transfer the task to other materials in reading or writing situations that serve a real function. (MG)

Examines definite constructions in 15 editorial articles from the "Christian Science Monitor." Classifies each construction as either re-evoking, new, or inferable. Argues that inferable constructions are most interesting since they indicate what the writer believes the reader is capable of inferring. Concludes that such conventions make…

Notes that the move from writing privately to writing professionally can be daunting. Suggests that various kinds of sharing, group interaction, and feedback from colleagues can ease the transition from private to public writing. (SR)

Describes a technical writing assignment in which students learn to consider the needs of an audience through writing query letters. Discusses researching the magazine, comparing competitors, editors' responses, and the advantages results of the assignment. (PRA)

Suggesting that the World Wide Web (WWW) is a tool that "ordinary" teachers and students can use to promote content learning and literacy development, this paper describes how the WWW can serve as a catalyst and tool for intermediate-grade teachers on up to share ideas and improve literacy. After briefly discussing recent articles in the…

Describes a four week collaborative writing unit designed to develop students' sense of audience by producing a magazine to orient fifth grade students to junior high school. Discusses how students developed the idea, conducted interviews, wrote articles, used computers to produce the magazine, and distributed copies of their magazine. (RS)

Gives seven responses from practicing English teachers concerning ways that they have implemented the writing of various kinds of letters by students into the English curriculum. Demonstrates the efficacy and success of such methods. (HB)

When administrators put their ideas into writing, they produce a durable public record. An administrator's paper trail should compliment rather than haunt its creator. Effective communicators treat writing as a reflective process that helps sharpen and clarify ideas and considers both audience and purpose. (Contains 17 references.) (MLH)

One of the greatest myths or fictions of nonfiction is that it contains no fiction. Ben Franklin's flight from Boston to Philadelphia illustrates how changes occur in the retelling of the "facts" of a life. In his "Autobiography," Franklin writes that his friend, Collins, arranged for a ship's passage for Franklin by telling…

A study examined how student-writers accommodated a real audience--that is how they adapted their writing to communicate clearly and forcefully with an audience other than the teacher. Subjects, 18 students in a pre-composition, remedial English course at Indiana University East, were asked to revise the formal drafts into a…

This guide to writing material that will be read by new readers focuses on making the material readable, relevant, and effective. The first section of the guide gives an overview of this process, and addresses the following aspects of writing for new readers: (1) determining the audience and its interests; (2) elements of effective written…

This annotated bibliography of 23 articles from the ERIC database on publishing student writing is addressed to anyone interested in publishing student writing as part of an instructional approach to teaching writing skills. An overview section includes representative articles, and a section on strategies for publishing follows. The two remaining…

A study examined how well existing audience theory fits what really happens when writers write on the job. This ethnographic study focused on the process of revising one chapter from a guide to the DOS computer operating system designed for use by novices as well as intermediate and skilled users. Preliminary findings confirmed much of audience…

This collection of essays by inspired and inspiring writing teachers from around the world is designed for teachers who want to expand their students' worlds through writing. The essays answer questions about how to motivate students to do their best writing, how to help them publish their writing, and how students can achieve successful results…