What astounds one writing teacher is what her students do with the reflective writing portion of a portfolio assignment, where they are instructed to use reflective writing to bring together their portfolio submissions into one cohesive unit. The class members first discuss the assignment, look at abandoned portfolios from previous semesters, and…

Describes a drama workshop conducted with the Maryland Writing Project Summer Teacher Institute by two visiting teacher trainers from London. Provides examples of drama methodologies using a Shakespearean text--"Midsummer Night's Dream"--and invites joint enquiry into opportunities for writing. Designs workshop activities to make them…

Describes using a three-step process (called active reflection) with secondary school remedial reading students. Notes that, using this framework, students use literature to make connections, release their imaginations through reaction to literature, and record their reflections in a variety of ways. (SR)

Addresses the cultural diversity that exists in English-as-a-second-language classrooms. Discusses a Halloween story unit developed to help students bridge cultural differences. (RS)

Describes a school-wide creative writing activity for grades 1-9 in which students wrote about their teacher's (fictional) early life. (SR)

Describes how a first-grade teacher often concludes the study of a topic with a "what we've learned chart" (which adapts paragraph frames to extend the well-known K-W-L chart) to assess student learning and provide opportunities for nonfiction writing. (SR)

Presents a variety of reading, writing, art, and discussion activities to keep students interested in studying "Romeo and Juliet." Describes using the film version of the play as a companion piece to unify the oral reading. (RS)

Considers combining topics in a virtual class as an attempt to assist incoming Master of Science Management students in accomplishing their long list of managerial communication learning objectives in a shorter delivery time and within the virtual environment. Describes the contemporary book review and discussion assignment and considers benefits…

Of 208 Welsh nursing/midwifery lecturers, large numbers corrected referencing, grammar, spelling, and sentence structure in students' written work; many felt this was less appropriate at higher levels. There was a discrepancy between opinions about and actual frequency of meetings with supervisees. Many commented on students' academic ability as a…

Provides six remembrances by teachers and students of the Teachers and Writers Collaborative on the occasion of its 35th anniversary. Discusses the quality of colleagues and the excitement of teaching. Notes the motivating influence of this teaching on students. (PM)

Characterizes academic discourse. Argues for the need for some nonacademic writing in freshman writing courses. Discusses the different styles of academic discourse within the field of composition. Notes stylistic conventions of academic discourse. Discusses implications for the teaching of freshman writing. (RS)

Discusses using a vase of dead roses in a writing class to teach students to deal with emotionally charged subject matter, see beyond the obvious, use language concisely to convey a message, and strike a universal chord in an audience--that is, to communicate intimately with an audience. (SR)

Describes "Project History in the Making" in which students in the class of 1990 read letters written by members of the classes of 1940 and 1965 and write letters to the class of 2015. Notes some of the questions asked by the class of 1990 to invited guests from the classes of 1940 and 1965. (RS)

Describes how a class of 13 academically average high school students, inspired by an earlier article in this journal, collaboratively wrote a story. Notes that the students continued to revise their story even after it came back from the printers. (RS)

Describes several assignments and activities that focus on writing for "real-world" purposes, including writing to pen pals, government agencies, and for children or the elderly. (MM)