Describes techniques developed by Ira Progoff for writing intensive personal journals and proposes their use in the classroom. (MAI)

Describes how writing character descriptions of "The Cosby Show" is effective for discussing universal family problems and teaching positive values and standards. (MM)

Describes a process whereby the school psychologist writes a more descriptive and less interpretative report. Encourages parents and staffing team members to become collaborators in hypothesis testing relative to the test results instead of being passive recipients of the psychologists' wisdom. Attempts to decrease defensiveness, improve…

Analyzes the process of comprehension, distinguishing between comprehension and several related skills, and defining comprehension as the ability to identify the intended effects of a piece of writing and to explain what causes exist within the piece which produces these effects. (MD)

How to use old magazine and newspaper pictures to help students learn to write realistic dialogue and speeches that characterize. (RB)

Creative inductive exercises for teaching effective writing skills are presented. Basic objectives of the inductive method include: (1) challenging students with creative options; (2) discovering the basics in sentence construction; (3) interpreting the idea of the "levels of generality;" and (4) focusing on the parallel between sentence…

Examines common curricular needs in written language instruction, and the advantages of using micorocmputers to teach descriptive writing. An example of an interactive computer-assisted instructional model for writing is discussed. Fourteen references are listed. (MER)

Shows how Muir's writing succeeded in transforming his readers' imaginative experience of scenic grandeur into an obligation to support preservationist legislation. Demonstrates how he influenced the establishment of Yosemite National Park and the preservation of wilderness reserves. (PD)

Retention of prose is examined as it is affected by (1) outlines as advanced organizers; (2) preexperimental familiarity with the material; and (3) text genre. Findings are discussed in the context of current theories in cognitive psychology, particularly those of structure, organization, and representation of knowledge and prose. (Author/GK)

Presents a method that enables students to become aware of nonverbal communication and to incorporate it into their descriptive writing. (TJ)

Describes the company profile case study approach to technical writing. Explains that groups of four students (1) select an industrywide classification, then select four firms from the chosen classification; (2) select audiences for their reports; (3) research individual companies and prepare group presentations; and (4) deliver group…

Suggests that mode of discourse, experiential demand, and gender are significant predictors of writing quality. Finds that narrative writing tasks elicit higher ratings than descriptive or expository; writing tasks requiring personal response (rather than impersonal or outside knowledge) received higher ratings; and quality of writing was more…

Describes writing a novel about the "expectancy-loss" burden of a special needs student and the "teratophobia" of ordinary people. Discusses examples in literature, such as Charles Dickens's character Tiny Tim. Explores special needs student's way of awkwardly examining his life, as well as the trials of an author trying to…

Confronts the challenges of getting young actors to embrace the use of language. Presents a series of exercises designed to expose students to the potential power of the spoken word by using three different kinds of texts: advertising copy, children's storybooks, and the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Discusses how the author engages his…