Homework policies and guidelines are the topics outlined in this article. Homework policies should address the amount of homework and amount of school time available to do the homework. Guidelines for grading homework are also discussed. It is recommended that teachers should prepare a written description of homework practices for the principal.…

Helping first graders develop writing skills is the focus of this paper. The first part of the paper discusses 11 ideas likely to be crucial to any first grade writing program, such as the similarities between learning to talk and writing, and the teacher as the model writer. The second part of the paper outlines creative writing activities…

The two articles in this publication focus on ways of teaching argumentation and debate in the college setting. The first article examines the place of the argumentation and debate course in the speech communication curriculum and suggests cognitive and behavioral objectives and assignments for use in such a course. The second article discusses…

This integrated curricular unit on frogs, developed for the second grade, focuses primarily on integrating reading, writing, and science. The unit discusses introducing students to frogs, predicting results in science, learning about classification in science, reading factual science books, extending the topic into literature and the arts,…

Teachers have allowed the social studies and science areas of instruction to become isolated from vibrant language arts skills, resulting in deficiencies in reading and writing skills within the different content areas. An 8- to 10-week biography unit was developed for a fourth-grade social studies course in an attempt to give students a stronger…

Three installments of "Writing Assignment of the Month," a regular feature of the National Council of Teachers of English publication, "Notes Plus," are presented in this compilation. The articles describe writing exercises which have proven to be successful in the classroom. The first article gives suggestions for introducing…

The seven articles in this journal issue examine the value of developing audience awareness in student writing. Among the topics and concerns expressed are the following: (1) the importance of purpose and audience in designing assignments, (2) the value of classmates regularly discussing each other's papers, (3) the writing development of one…

The literature selections serving as the basis for writing assignments in the articles in this journal issue range from time-honored English classics ("Beowulf,""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight") and American standards ("A Farewell to Arms,""The Scarlet Letter") to contemporary fiction. The articles deal with works by women writers (Shirley…