When asked to discuss their middle school language arts classes, talented eighth graders identified concerns and made suggestions for their teachers. Students voiced desire for choices in selecting reading materials, writing topics and genre. They preferred having extended periods of time to engage in reading and writing activities, rather than…

Proposes that writing to published authors deepens students' understanding of children's literature and gives them a greater awareness of writing techniques. Suggests that when letter writing takes place within the context of a writing workshop, it is an effective strategy for literacy growth. Outlines how to choose authors, find addresses, and…

As part of a larger ethnographic project addressing the construction of gender through literacy, this study focused on understanding how the children in one writing process classroom expressed their social selves in their written compositions, as well as how those compositions were engineered within the social dynamics of the classroom. The study…