Adapted for whole class use, this unit focuses on developing the writing skills pupils need if they are to progress from Level 3 to Level 4 of England's National Curriculum. It is meant to supplement, but not to replace, the English curriculum for Year 7 pupils. The unit builds on the successful approaches of the National Literacy Strategy in…

Based on the 1998 Arkansas English Language Arts Frameworks, this framework lists benchmarks for grades five through eight in writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated standards are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing process elements appropriately to…

Describes how beginning language learners generated electronic mail in a foreign language, Spanish, and what the resulting texts looked like. The study uncovered different, contrastive writing behaviors and a diversity of texts and suggests that communicative activities in the language classroom pose dilemmas for students. (39 references)…

Presents information learned from the planning and implementation of a Writer's Academy. Describes structures for writing as well as six useful lessons learned pertaining to: (1) teacher conferences; (2) peer conferences; (3) exploring the world; (4) writing with students; (5) valuing the process and the product to address national standards; and…

The information gained from analysis of bilingual students' writing can be used to inform instruction that helps students improve their writing in Spanish and English. The writing of one native Spanish-speaking third grader is analyzed, and instructional strategies are given for helping the writer improve content and mechanics. (Author/TD)

The majority of environmental information is presented in factual, expository text format. Examines problems with traditional formats when interest or incentives are not strong. Discusses ways to make text providing environmental information to citizens or students more interesting, meaningful, and memorable. (LZ)

This article reviews recent projects using text structures and the writing process as frameworks to guide the composition dialogue. Learning-disabled students' attitudes toward writing as a required skill rather than a means of expression are confronted in the emphasis on dialogue. Several blank forms for organizing prewriting thoughts are…

Illustrates the way in which a first grade boy overcame his writing anxiety and progressed through initial attempts at writing with the guidance and support of his teachers. (BB)

Describes a study comparing the writing processes and written work of 33 female and male freshman. Students were given a Writing Anxiety Scale, asked to write two essays, and then interviewed. Analyzes length of time spent composing, number of words, use of personal pronouns, topic preference, writing anxiety, and writing experiences. (PAA)

Computers can help young writers learn to write well. Exercises for developing ideas, such as freewriting, are easily adapted to computers and enhanced by hypertext and thesaurus functions. Grammar and spell checks make editing easier, and the ability to rearrange text facilitates writing out of order and revision. Changing formats and fonts,…

Describes a follow-up study of a University of Wyoming faculty development workshop on writing across the curriculum to assess its impact on teaching roles. Compares gatekeepers (e.g., teachers control classroom discourse and enforce the discipline's conventions) and border crossers (e.g., teachers invite students to direct discourse, and create…

Focuses on whether university students studying a foreign language at an American university use the same processes and writing strategies in foreign language and first language writing in two different genres (letter and article). Using a computerized tracking device, individual writing sessions were analyzed through statistical techniques and…

Describes the visual arts as a means of helping remedial reading and writing students to "see" the process of writing. Discusses the use of clay sculpting to demonstrate free-writing techniques, Venn-mobiles to demonstrate compare/contrast techniques, and wraps (felt "tortillas" and fillings) to demonstrate summary writing. (Contains 10…

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) are required to pass the same competency exams as students enrolled in general education in order to graduate to new grade levels and to earn a high school diploma. In this study, the authors taught students with SLD a self-directed organizational strategy designed to assist them in passing the…

The media, which includes editorials, have been shown to play an important role in the definition of priorities in public agenda. In the domain of international matters, the public relies heavily on the media, and editorials play an even greater role. This article examines how explicit mentions of external sources of information function in the…