This article presents a case study on the use of expressivist writing pedagogy as a practice of identity construction for an adolescent Chinese-Speaking English Language Learner (ELL) in a 6-12, college preparatory, international boarding school context. The study implements a narrative inquiry/content analysis framework to analyze themes of…

Much of the special education research on writing has focused on skill acquisition and remediation. However, a significant problem with this approach is that it does not account for the sociocultural nature of writing or the importance of culturally sustaining pedagogies in writing instruction. In this article, the author uses practitioner…

U.S. adolescents' prior technology experiences and exposure to digital genres vary, but they will often write digital texts as they enter college and adulthood. We explored middle school students' digital writing instructional experience in the context of a university-based summer digital writing camp. The sixth- through eighth-grade adolescents…

This study examines a Detroit suburb experiencing an unexpected influx of working class African American students. Dilemmas engendered a cultural mismatch between teachers and students. In a controversial climate where students cross the boundary line in search for educational parity, this study examines a seventh-grade English teacher who enacts…

Looks at the ways in which a group of girls perceived themselves and how their perceptions and behaviors changed as they moved from the sixth grade to the seventh grade. Focuses on the ways that early adolescents develop their identities in school contexts. Concludes that the girls indicated that they were grateful for their occasions when they…

Argues that literacy workshop classrooms, though they may appear chaotic, are highly organized environments. Reviews six model theories of organizations and their management. Describes a typical day in a seventh-grade literacy workshop. Outlines revisions needed in educators' thinking about their professional practice, and suggests strategies to…

Describes how the writing process is the foundation for writing instruction in a seventh-grade class with full special education inclusion. Describes how daily writing, lots of choice, modeling, and examples of rich writing help all students move ahead to become better writers. (SR)

Discusses how pretending to be a character or to help a character with a problem made reading and writing meaningful for middle school students. Describes activities that promoted writing about thinking, thinking as a character would, character integration, creating character journals, and relating to characters. (SR)

As a university instructor and a language arts middle school teacher, the authors have been working collaboratively for the last three years. This article describes their collaborative efforts, including what they have learned about their students and about the process of learning through the work they have done together. To introduce their…