This feature blends children's literature with in-class cooking ideas to add spice to reading programs at various times of the year. A seasonal list of reading books appropriate for elementary school-age children is coordinated with recipes for dishes that complement the stories. (PP)

Offers a writing assignment in which students analyze the operations of a failing small business and make written recommendations on improving prospects. (AEA)

Describes and illustrates a writing assignment in which students assume the role and the voice of someone they perceive as different from themselves, requiring attention to appropriate--not necessarily "correct"--language styles. (RL)

England's Leslie Stratta shares his views on teaching basic writing and assessing student growth in writing. (AEA)

Describes a creative writing assignment in which individuals write episodes about different characters and small groups collaborate on unifying the collected "chapters" into sagas. (RL)

A legal research and writing course at Stetson University is described that follows a separate legal bibliography course (one credit hour) for freshmen. Having completed the legal bibliography course, students progress more rapidly with better results in the research and writing course. (MLW)

Examines major findings of a nationwide survey of community college instructors conducted to assess teaching practices in the sciences. Survey findings cover enrollment and completion rates; use of instructional media, assignments, reading requirements, knowledge tested, grading practices, support services; use of out-of-class activities; and…

Describes a method for giving a final examination in a British Literature class by having students write a paper using an original approach based on the works studied during the semester. Provides four possible approaches and includes an example written by a student. (TJ)

Outlines the interdisciplinary problems of communication and how such problems might effectively be addressed in the graduate curricula. (JMF)

Discusses uses of digital cameras in education. Highlights include advantages and disadvantages, digital photography assignments and activities, camera features and operation, applications for digital images, accessory equipment, and comparisons between digital cameras and other digitizers. (AEF)

Describes a method that spurs students to engage in the process of self-analysis and exploration that makes an excellent antecedent to informed college selection. Students wrote essays describing their ideal college. The exercise allowed students to keep a goal in mind as they began their college search. (RJM)

Presents a case (based upon an actual situation that occurred between an insurance underwriter and a major university) used in a business writing course. Notes that the assignment requires students to compose a letter that addresses complaints, conveys bad news, maintains good will, and attempts to persuade the reader to renew a contract under…

Discusses problems with teaching multicultural texts at North Hennepin Community College (a second-tier suburb north of Minneapolis, Minnesota). Notes that many students are naive of (or deny) how class functions in the United States. Discusses assignments that deal with race, class, and gender. (RS)