Reports on "Runaway with Words," a poetry workshop for at-risk teens in Florida's runaway shelters. Describes how, through various exercises, oral recitations, and conversations, troubled teens learn basic writing skills that help them gain control over their emotions. (SR)

Describes five poetry assignments and presents examples of students' poetry written in response to the assignments. (RS)

Argues that the differences between the worlds kids live in and the worlds they are taught to desire (through television, movies, music, and magazines) can cause a desperate confusion that children long to have resolved. Describes how the author, a teacher of writing, has students think and write about reality. (SR)

Provides an outline for an exercise for junior high and high school students that encourages them to develop a philosophy of life in the form of resolutions, similar to those written by Jonathan Swift, Benjamin Franklin, and Jonathan Edwards. Cites examples of resolutions written by students. (PA)

Discusses what a review should do, journalistic standards, and presenting a strong and consistent critique. Suggests other things to review besides movies, gives an example of success, and offers an exercise on writing a sidebar to accompany a movie review. Offers four reviews written by students, and a short essay about the occasional danger of…

In fall 2000, Eastern Illinois University implemented an electronic writing portfolio (EWP) to assess students' writing skills. Students who were freshmen in fall 2000 and transfer students enrolling under the fall 2000 catalogue or subsequent catalogues must submit materials to the EWP. The EWP submissions come from each academic level as…

This article describes a possible praxis for an undergraduate learning theories course. The philosophies of "a language-based theory of learning" (Wells, 1999), writing across the curriculum (Young, 1994), learner-centered education (Lambert & McCombs, 1998), and critical-thinking (Paul, 1995) are interwoven with the rationale and…

Students in a large undergraduate biology course were expected to write a scientific report as a key part of their course design. This study investigates the quality of learning arising from the writing experience and how it relates to the quality of students' preconceptions of learning through writing and their perceptions of their writing…

The "Literacy Cafe," a celebration of genre study and student writing, offers students (and visitors!) a positive environment in which to engage in reading and discussion of writing without self-consciousness or fear of criticism. It works because students learn to recognize writing as a learning tool and a relevant, authentic skill in the real…

Both a guide and an anthology, this book is for teachers (and self-teachers) who would like to explore the list poem, a flexible poetic form that can be used by beginning writers (from kindergarten to 12th grade) as well as by the most sophisticated. The book: offers practical advice on how to teach list poetry; describes how to work with students…

This paper presents 26 selections of students' prose and poetry from the anthology "There's a Soul Arising in My Mind" and as presented on a New York City radio show. The prose selections come from a form of journal writing called "contemplation writing," a pre-poetry program that uses music, writing, and discussion to guide…

Mathematics faculty around the United States are using writing assignments in a variety of ways. A mathematics teacher at Alma College, Michigan, has students write mathematical autobiographies, keep a reading logbook, and write letters to other students about the course, letters to instructors about the topics, or about what they do not…

A student was able to overcome flatness in his writing when he focused on the process of writing rather than the product. The student's draft of an essay about a symbol the student found meaningful contained spelling and grammatical errors and was also "flat." The essay had no apparent thesis, demonstrated lack of success in issues of…

This book contains stories, poems, essays, and letters about nature and animals, fantasy and real life, people, places, and science fiction. Writing selections and art work in the book were chosen by K-12 teachers to reflect the best efforts of their students. A preface and a list of student authors and artists precede the writing selections, and…

This booklet contains a selection of stories written by children for the Canadian Broadcast Corporation Mackenzie's "Write a Good Story and Get Your Name on the Radio" contest, many of which were originally broadcast on a morning information radio program. The booklet's 50 selections are each accompanied by the author's name, grade, and…