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Prepared as part of a series applying recent research in oral and written communication instruction to classroom practice, this booklet discusses three visual models of teaching written composition. The first section of the booklet discusses the content area model, which begins with an abstraction presented to students (definitions of parts of speech or rules for subject-verb agreement, for example), then moves to models or examples, such as sample paragraphs or model short stories. The section also examines the shortcomings and the strengths of the model. The second section deals with the mastery model, a visual interpretation of B. Bloom's ideas, analyzing its flaws and advantages. The third section presents the writing process model, a synthesis of ideas from D. Graves, J. Britton, G. Stanford, and others. The discussion covers the various stages of the model, including prewriting, drafting, and proofreading, and offers a comparison of the model to others. The booklet concludes with three "excursions," extended treatments of several points related to the topic of models, including talk in the classroom, revision and teacher feedback, and the writing process, mechanics, and nonstandard English. Examples of student work are used throughout the booklet. (FL)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert