Finding voice is often the most intimidating stumbling block to authentic writing in the classroom. Linda Rief offers insight into tapping students' passion and promoting personal responsibility for learning with her "quickwrites," and includes a checklist of ways to elicit writing that matters.

Contends that the value of writing as a powerful tool for teaching reading is often underestimated. Explains that when students write and revise their writing, they are reading to make sure what they have written is clearly understood by themselves and their audience. Notes that for many students, reading what someone else thinks stimulates their…

Describes the author's experience in keeping a reading-writing journal. Notes how her journal began as an academic journal, but her personal life crept into it. Notes that her students experienced the same thing. (SG)

Looks at two case examples of reader experiences, one of an 8th grader and another of a 2-year-old. Considers how to best promote reading by reading aloud in class. Presents a list of 37 highly recommended books for 8th-grade classes and a list of 11 books recommended for read-alouds. (SC)

Presents an appreciation in honor and praise of language arts educator Donald H. Graves. Describes the rewards, now compounding through the generations, of his gentle encouragement and his continual modeling as a learner himself, teaching students and classroom teachers to value all they know and all they can do through writing compassionately and…

Portfolios give teachers insights into their students' growth not possible through traditional assessment measures. The portfolio concept is feasible if students become immersed in reading, writing, speaking, and listening and are given sufficient time, project choices, and positive reinforcement. Educators should nurture self-evaluation of…

Demonstrates a way to encourage students to take risks in their writing. (SR)

Suggests that children must be allowed their voices through writing. Discusses how four eighth-grade students turned life experiences into meaningful writing for the classroom. (RS)

Reviews "The Community as Classroom" by Candida Gillis. Asserts that the book systematically shows how to take a segment of society--in this case, the elderly--and use that community in the language arts classroom. (MM)

Writing--and lots of it in all genres--is at the heart of the language arts curriculum and the skills of critical thinking that students need to develop to become prepared consumers and citizens. In this article, the author reflects on her growth as a writer and teacher, and offers an overview of what people know about writing, what they need to…

Describes a "quick-write" as a 1-3 minute written response to a short piece of writing in which students either write as quickly as they can all that comes to mind in response to the work, or borrow a line from the work and write off that line. (SG)

Presents excerpts from a student's year-end self-evaluation, including a few excerpts from her portfolio. Includes her teacher's comments, intended to confirm what the student knows, and to consider how the teacher's classroom practices may have influenced or contributed to Sarah's learning. Appends an evaluation form to help students evaluate…

Describes how, after studying the Holocaust and other human-rights issues in their eighth-grade language-arts classes, students felt compelled to create a permanent memorial and reminder. Discusses how the project unfolded from finding and shaping an idea, collecting stories from around the nation, crafting the mosaic and the flower garden, and…

Suggesting that evaluation is an ongoing part of classroom life from day one, this book presents essays by classroom teachers that examine learning and evaluation and the need to bring the two together in more relevant ways. Essays in the book discuss ways to examine the potential of portfolios to reflect different kinds of intelligence; balance…

A testament to the belief that K-12 teachers should be writers, this book invites readers into the classrooms and minds of teachers who write. The fiction, poetry, personal essays, and two teacher interviews celebrate the power of writing and invite teachers to become more seriously involved in writing for themselves. The classrooms described in…