BASING ITS WORK ON INVESTIGATION OF SCHOOL PRACTICES AND ANALYSIS OF THE WRITING PROCESS OF CHILDREN, THE NORTHWESTERN CURRICULUM STUDY CENTER DEVELOPED A CURRICULUM IN COMPOSITION FOR THE LOWER SECONDARY GRADES. THE LESSONS DEVELOPED FOR THE SEVENTH AND EIGHTH GRADES HAD THEIR BASIS IN PESTALOZZIAN OBJECT TEACHING WHICH STRESSES SPECIFICITY AND CONCRETENESS. IN THE NINTH- AND TENTH-GRADE LESSONS, OBSERVATION WAS EXTENDED TO REFLECTION. THESE PRINCIPLES WERE ALSO THE BASIS FOR THE FORMULATION OF SPECIAL SETS OF LESSONS FOR USE WITH DISADVANTAGED FOURTH-GRADE CHILDREN. THROUGHOUT, THE LESSONS WERE PLANNED AS ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE VARIOUS STAGES OF THE WRITING PROCESS, ESPECIALLY THOSE PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL WRITING DOWN OF WORDS. OBSERVATION AND TESTIMONY SUGGESTED THAT THIS APPROACH LEADS CHILDREN INTO MAKING WRITING A MEANINGFUL PART OF THEIR EXPERIENCE. INCLUDED IN THE REPORT WERE THE ORGANIZATIONAL FORMAT OF THE CURRICULUM CENTER, A VISITATION CALENDAR, CURRICULUM CENTER BULLETINS, LISTS OF COOPERATING SCHOOLS AND PERSONNEL, AND REPORTS ON RELATED PROJECTS OF THE CENTER. (GD)