The study of discourse genres as social action has steadily displaced more traditional views of genre, proposing the organic and ecological model that any consistent pattern of response to a recurrent rhetorical situation might constitute a genre. Observation of the life cycles of genres as transient social events can occur in a classroom using…

To teach writing well, teachers need three things: first, they have to understand writing itself, as well as writing pedagogy; second, they need to be writers themselves; and third, they need to know how to communicate their knowledge about writing effectively to their students. This book is based on the premise that writing ability--and teaching…

This paper grew out of the collaborative relationship that emerged from in-class modeling of student-centered writing approaches as participating teachers and a consultant/researcher began to explore ways to increase the length of fourth-grade writing. The paper reports on a small study in fourth-grade writing aimed at increasing the length of…

Noting that when students are immersed in reading and writing poetry they benefit from revisions in writing and learn to critically analyze text, this book outlines the ways that poetry workshops can excite students' interest. Chapter 1, "Laying a Foundation for Poetry Workshop" defines poetry workshop and explains its value in the reading and…

A study of 14 adolescents with learning disabilities and 7 low-achieving adolescents was conducted to evaluate a writing strategy designed to enhance the quality of compare-and-contrast essays. Results indicate the students improved substantially in the clarity of writing, appropriateness, and organization of ideas in their essays, but not in…

Suggests a number of teaching strategies that can be used for the development of authentic voices (instead of institutional, depersonalized voices) in student writing. Focuses on the importance of students' choosing their own topic, developing audience awareness, and making connections between their own lives and literature. (TB)

Lists the following 10 tips for improved sports writing in high school publications: reporting comes before writing; do not try to do too much; show, do not tell; do not do game stories; avoid cliches; avoid "jock-talk"; use the drama of sports; do not write the obvious story; sports is also news; and read great sports writing. (PM)

A study of three fifth-grade students with learning disabilities examined the effectiveness of a strategy deigned to help them become more reflective when writing opinion essays. Following the instruction, students wrote essays that were longer, provided more support for their premise, and were qualitatively better. (Author/CR)

Finds that high school students (grade 10) who were exposed to the Multiple Exposure Vocabulary Method in combination with the Target Reading/Writing Strategy received a significantly better verbal score on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test than students who received more traditional instruction. (SR)

Compares technical journal editing practices with journal style, examining variables that reflect active, verbal expression of ideas and parsimony and clarity of sentence construction. Finds that editors have little professional training in editing and style, little knowledge of style terms and differences, and spend little time editing, and only…

Provides writing exercises which encourage the use of sense details to let the reader know what is in the writer's mind. Provides writing exercises for setting a mood, describing places in fiction, adding metaphors, and describing people. (MG)

A whole-class exercise used in college composition classes to demonstrate the writing process is described. The class works together to produce a collaborative paper, in rough draft, in one hour. Steps used to produce it include specification of topic, discussion of purpose and audience, prewriting for ideas, development of thesis and outline,…

Image within the Writing Process is an arts-based literacy program that integrates children's visual imagery at every stage of the writing process. Using various simple art materials and methods, young authors/illustrators have access to visual, kinesthetic, and verbal thinking modes. The process benefits both verbal thinkers and those with…

Examined the academic literacy experiences and coping strategies of five English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students during their first semester at an American university. Results found that the students came to the United States with a battery of well-elaborated strategies for dealing with the academic work load they would face. (contains 34…

Examines how two different writing tasks of writing from sources influence students' thinking in reading and writing. Finds that students interpreted the two tasks differently but showed no differences in the proportion of prior knowledge included, nor in learning. (SR)