Using Research in Preparing to Teach Writing

Much has been said in recent years about the teaching of composition, about what the curriculum in composition should contain, and about ways to teach composition more effectively. We hear a great deal about the decline in literacy of our students, the sharp drop in SAT scores, and the observations that many students cannot write a clear English sentence at the senior high school level. Yet, many would say that such statements are grossly exaggerated, and that clearly there are reasons for the appearance of such a decline. Regardless of whether the alleged literacy crisis exists or not, English teachers at all levels seem to have a new sense of interest and