Examines the effect of the Paideia Seminar writing programs on state writing test scores for one North Carolina middle school. Discusses the role and purpose of the Paideia Seminar and its implementation at the school, and subsequent changes in writing test scores. (JPB)

Notes that an event described in first-person will vary from one told from a third-person point of view or from an omniscient viewpoint. Offers a variety of books written from different viewpoints on the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806). Gives 10 questions for stimulating student response. (PA)

Examines the functions of outlining for 122 students in 4 undergraduate classes, each in a different discipline. Finds that outlining functions varied widely according to the assignment and the teacher's guidance. Identifies five functions of outlining. Suggests the benefits of examining a specific writing strategy rather than concentrating only…

Explains how to get middle school through college students to write detailed paragraphs with the QUEEN FRANCIS method--an acronym that stands for "Qu"otes, "E"xamples, "E"xperts, "N"ames, "F"acts, "R"easons, "A"necdotes, "N"umbers, "C"oncrete words,…

Presents an interview with Norma Fox Mazer, a writer of children's books. Describes how she creates a story. Discusses how writing a story, whether a short story or a novel, is an intricate balance of character, event, and voice. (SG)

This article represents an attempt to begin a dialogue among the research community to identify what is known about using technology in various content areas. Although it does not present new empirical data, it does offer the reader one researcher's perspective on technology in literacy and language arts. The author discusses the effects of…

Writing is a complex task. Its development depends in large part on changes that occur in children's strategic behavior, knowledge, and motivation. In the present study, the effectiveness of an instructional model, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), designed to foster development in each of these areas, was examined. Adding a peer support…

This article discusses the Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) approach to teach writing skills to students with learning disabilities. It examines how SRSD is implemented in the classroom, how teachers can plan for and evaluate SRSD, the research evidence supporting SRSD, and the method's six stages. An example in a second grade classroom…

Today, students other than biology, computer science, or physics majors are enrolling in technical writing. English and communication students, seeking lucrative careers as professional writers or editors, are increasingly signing up for the course. Lacking extensive scientific backgrounds, these students may have a difficult time writing about…

This article presents the implementation of Katja von Garnier's film Bandits into a composition course that focuses on writing strategies. It offers specific exercises geared toward the intermediate to intermediate high-writer on the ACTFL scale with an emphasis on the main characters in Bandits and female criminals in general. In providing…

Basic English Writing (BEW) courses have been part of English learning curricula in many universities. Some research has been conducted to investigate various class designs for English language courses. However, class designs for English writing are not yet abundantly developed to provide more experimental results. The purpose of this study was to…

Teacher educator and researcher Peterson works with eighth-grade science teacher, Rochwerger, who believes that writing is a learning tool that will enable her students to become scientifically literate. Here, we see this belief played out through an action research project that found students using a genre of their choice to write about what they…

Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk of academic difficulties and special education placement (Barkley, 1998). One academic area, written expression, has received little research attention. This study assessed the effectiveness of a validated strategy instruction model--Self-Regulated Strategy…

Focused freewriting, broadly defined as writing without stopping and editing about a specific topic, has been viewed and used as a powerful tool for developing student writing in a wide spectrum of educational contexts. This study aimed to further explore the use of focused freewriting in the context of promoting students' academic skills…

This article describes the preliminary exploratory process used to develop the research questions that will be addressed during a project to be offered in the 2005-2006 academic year. The project will bring together Maine high school and college faculty to learn from each other about shared needs, methods and priorities, in a year long series of…