Assesses research published between 1994 and 1999 in this journal about teaching writing with distance learning technology. Describes two emerging categories of research in distance education: articles that theorize distance education in the context of writing instruction and articles that describe distance education in practice. (SG)

Examines the publishing process, to encourage library media specialists to write magazine articles and/or books. Topics include choosing a subject, selecting an appropriate publisher, determining manuscript requirements, and writing a professional manuscript. (LRW)

Studied the influence of 4 different prewriting treatments on the quality of written discourse produced by fifth graders (96 in all) compared with writings of 24 students without prewriting instructions. Reading paired with prewriting before composing was found to be the most effective prewriting instructional strategy. (SLD)

Examines how one organizational genre, the work order, functioned to orient different groups so that work could be accomplished, and could be credited within the normal hierarchy of the organization. Implications emphasize the political aspect of genre as a form of social action. Concludes the work orders as a genre both triggered and concealed…

Introduces a project incorporating creative writing and advanced placement chemistry. Uses texts and laboratory experiments for the basis of the writing assignments. (YDS)

Although pair and group work are commonly used in language classrooms, very few studies have investigated the nature of such collaboration when students produce a jointly written text. This study set out to investigate collaborative writing. The study was classroom based, and the participants (23) were adult ESL students completing degree courses.…

The language arts classroom is largely about leading students to become literate in their own voices and to see writing as a tool for thinking. I come to know my students through their writing and through class discussions about the texts we read and the texts we write. The challenge of good writing instruction is leading students to view their…

Understanding multiple perspectives--how different people see one another and events now and in the past--is often cited as a goal of social studies educators. This article describes one way to encourage children to consider a variety of perspectives on a person's life story, using a literary model as a guide to thinking about the past. The book…

How do young children learn to write? What types of instruction best facilitate the composing processes of young learners and what role could educational drama play in these processes? In this article, the author argues that the current inquiry into developmental processes of children's writing has neglected to consider both the role and the value…

As educators struggle to find ways to engage students in literacy development and content area exploration, performance literacy is emerging as an important pedagogical tool. This article defines performance literacy as the process of teaching students to write and perform stories. The author lists the five major components in the development of…

The authors examined whether the influence of reading purpose on reported use of text-processing strategies was moderated by students' prior knowledge about the topic of the text. Using multiple regression analyses with interaction terms, they found that the effect of reading purpose on reported use of memorization and elaboration strategies…

The Central Bands Commissioning Project was a multidimensional endeavor. One dimension included organizational details, such as selecting a composer, negotiating a contract, and securing funds. A second dimension was made up of teaching and learning activities related to the commission, such as meeting local composers, writing letters to composers…

Clearly, writing works differently online. How it is produced, how it is distributed, how it is accessed, how it is read--all of these processes are changed when writing becomes virtual. However, the processes we use to write at "the print interface" and the ways we read print documents are not obsolete by any means--but they certainly…

This study explored the use of writing to help students' develop schemata knowledge for algebraic thinking. Eight seventh-grade pre-algebra students participated in a teaching experiment in which they solved algebraic problems related in mathematical structure. The problems involved contexts of growth and change and size and shape. Qualitative…

Learning to write well is a long process that comes through teacher modeling, instruction, practice, and feedback. Luckily, the writing process can be used to improve science learning, too. There is perhaps no better place than a science journal for students to develop informational writing skills. Daily journal prompts are one way to encourage…