Describes several exercises to help students change their perspectives when writing poetry. (MM)

Techniques are discussed for encouraging students to write thoughtful papers about field trips. Greater student involvement can be achieved by cultivating a sense of ownership of the writing. Topics for before, during, and after the trip are suggested in such functional writing areas as instrumental, regulatory, interactional, personal, heuristic,…

Describes a freshman composition class in which students write essays about pollution. Explains that students classified and divided problems, cited examples, explored pollution's processes, used narrative, and offered comparisons. Describes how students prepared cause-and-effect oral presentations and then wrote persuasive letters. Concludes that…

Includes five teaching suggestions: "From Marvell to Tennyson to Eliot: Or Are You a Prufrock or a Ulysses?" by Bill Shaw; "Attendance and Contact Records," by Kaye E. White; "Viewer Mail," by Paul Hunter; "Electronic Journal," by James W. Smith; "Responding to a Need-for-Advice Question," by John…

Describes an assignment in which students write employee handbooks, outlining employee rights and responsibilities. Notes that this assignment integrates many concepts taught in a technical writing course, including informative writing, graphics, and readability. (MM)

Shares a variety of illuminating metaphors for expressing the special nature and spirit of Hypercard (computer software used to build structures that create patterns and connections). Emphasizes Hypercard's multiple personalities and reminds readers that there are many useful and enriching ways to describe Hypercard. (MG)

Describes an autobiographical writing assignment in which preservice teachers reflect on their past language experiences in order to examine the important elements of language development. Presents samples from student essays demonstrating that the factors influencing language development are varied and yet consistent. (RS)

Secondary teachers returning from Cummins Engine Foundation Writing Project seminars (Indiana) shared their ideas about integrating writing skills with various academic subjects. This article provides helpful hints to teachers of business, electronics, English, foreign languages, home economics, mathematics, science, social studies, and vocational…

Describes a successful writing activity to help students become confident reporters for a classroom newspaper. Notes that this assignment incorporates several writing styles and literary devices. (MG)

Presents a model of written language that can guide the instruction of hearing-impaired students, and strategies and techniques for improving writing skills, using research and theory from such areas as fluency, syntax, vocabulary, content, conventions, student motivation, guided practice, student interaction, and selective feedback. (CB) (Adjunct…

Describes an exercise which promotes awareness of the recent movement to eliminate gender-biased noun and pronoun usage from the language. Provides instructions on how to change sexist noun and pronoun usages into non-sexist language, and lists several ways to make writing gender neutral. (MM)

Describes a role-playing activity to help students effectively extract information from an oral source, as in an interview. (MM)

Describes an activity that combines the reading of a popular novel with the viewing of its movie adaptation. Claims that this activity fosters improved reading habits. (MM)

Reports on a study examining the pattern of question selection by English as a Second Language (ESL) students on a writing competence test and the relationship to performance. Results suggest that ESL students heavily favored first and second questions in each set of four questions, and shorter questions in sets. (CB)

Describes a simulation game requiring students to role play and complete extensive writing exercises to help them become interested in Willa Cather's "My Antonia" and the pioneer experience of relocation and resettlement. Contains an extensive description of the simulation rules and procedures. (TB)