Ideas for the Teaching of Composition. Language Arts Monograph.

Five articles concerning plans for the teaching of composition are contained in this monography published as part of an Illinois Office of Education project to respond to the need for materials written for classroom teachers of language arts. Aline Wolff encourages teachers to write themselves and to write with their students as they go through the processes of prewriting, selecting, formulating a thesis, selecting a writing pattern, editing, manuscript preparation, and proofreading. John Erickson suggests ways that teachers can promote the use of writing as a valuable form of communciation, provide students with models of how a writer goes about wedding the idea with the form, and instill confidence rather than alienation in young writers. John Eckmar describes motivational activities to give students practice in communication through writing, Jackie Ziff provides suggestions for intermediate grade writing activities, and William Dusel offers guidelines for determining an efficient teaching load in English. Lists of professional organizations and of workshops and festivals conclude the monograph. (MKM)