The story of how a radio play was written, revised, produced and put on the air by elementary school students. (Includes the completed script.) (RL)

Social scripting theory points to the fact that much of sexual behavior seems to follow a script. Similar to scripts that stage actors use to guide their behavior, social scripts instruct members of a society as to appropriate behavior and the meanings to attach to certain behaviors. In Western cultures, scripts for sexual activity are markedly…

Collaborative learning in computer-supported learning environments typically means that learners work on tasks together, discussing their individual perspectives via text-based media or videoconferencing, and consequently acquire knowledge. Collaborative learning, however, is often sub-optimal with respect to how learners work on the concepts that…

This three-paper report describes Nigel, a large, programmed grammar of English which has been created in the framework of systemic linguistics begun by Halliday, and which, in addition to specifying functions and structures of English, has a novel semantic stratum which specifies the situations for use of each grammatical feature. The…

This paper discusses some of the problems encountered by students in an introductory children's literature course as they planned and produced brief television presentations centered around picture books suitable for an audience of young children. A rationale for the project is provided as well as a detailed review of the planning process. The…

This description of the CBS Television Reading Program includes a report on the results of a survey investigating the reactions of students, teachers, and parents to the program. Personal interviews were conducted in 97 schools selected from inner-city, urban fringe, and suburban locations in 11 metropolitan areas; subjects included 262 teachers,…

Basic manual transcription procedure is outlined and three methods of generating transcripts are considered separately: completely manual preparation, manual and computer combined, and online processing and monitoring by computer. Factors such as initial equipment investment, person hours, cost of copying and modifying transcripts, and reduction…

This study focused on whether reading instruction based on popular youth-oriented television programs increases task involvement or reading achievement scores. After one year, reading scores of classes using television scripts, in addition to regular materials, were significantly higher than those of nontreatment classes. (JN)

Describes the Danish Film School's program in screenwriting. Three faculty members offer insights into their objectives in teaching and the emphasis they each place on various aspects of writing. (JMF)

Explains the development of standardized coding for digital text, especially for multilingual text, that has culminated in the Unicode standard. Topics include the University of Michigan's Humanities Text Initiative (HTI); a history of character sets; transliteration; non-Roman languages; fonts; and barriers to adoption of the Unicode standard. A…

Argues that the construction of a performance script permits the modification of the original text in order to render that original theatrically communicative in the present. Notes that the dominant concerns of script modification are in how to negotiate audience expectations. Describes three types of textual deviation: nonverbal alteration;…

Describes some of the Shakespeare software available to educators. Explains some of its applications in the secondary school language arts classroom. Shows how Shakespeare texts on disc allow students to cut sections of the play to enhance their own performances (for example, a 20-minute version of "Much Ado About Nothing") and how…

Examines the relationship of instructional designers and content experts and suggests methods to make these relationships more successful, including simplifying language to eliminate jargon; emphasizing the benefits of instructional design involvement; and focusing on interpersonal communication skills. Four sample scripts for instructional…

Explores the effectiveness of using television and video to motivate student writing. Describes how, following a series of motivational and brainstorming sessions using television, video, and popular literature, 23 fifth-grade students wrote and videotaped dramatizations of short "teaser" scripts in cooperative groups. Notes that these…

Multigenre texts are a recent trend in children's books. These types of books can enhance students' comprehension and provide models of various types of writing genres. They can be used in differentiating instruction and increasing fluency when transformed into readers' theater texts. Many examples of multigenre books are provided in this article.