Explores the child's use of language and suggests way to promote language development in the classroom. (MKM)

Designed to grade children's knowledge of commonly used instructional terms in a particular language arts program, the AIT consists of a verbal part and a situational part. Each part assesses the same commonly used instructional terms: word, begin, letter, name, makes sense, beginning sounds, print, trace, capital letter, rhyme, period, stands…

Explores the patterns in children's talk about their writing, by means of transcribed conversations during daily writing/sharing sessions in a first grade classroom. Discusses the importance of this kind of talk. (HTH)

Suggests practical ways of teaching functional communication on the elementary level. This approach provided opportunities for students to practice communication skills in exercise settings. Recommends a sequence of activities for teachers: observe patterns of child communication, isolate communication functions, design instructional objectives,…

The purpose of this two section, five-part monograph is to help teachers plan and organize instruction so that objectives of language learning may be met as part of technology activities. Its intended audiences are elementary teachers, elementary language arts consultants, technology teachers who work in a team with elementary teachers, and…

Presents a method and rationale for enhancing verbal learning in a typical reading-language arts lesson through personal and group generated images and associations. (FL)

Highlights children as a source of information about curriculum development. Observes how and why some first grade children write, and how this may affect teachers' instructional assumptions. (HTH)

Poses questions about language and learners, both child learners and teacher learners. (JL)

Examines materials in the ERIC system related to children's early oral language and the transition from home language to the more formal language used in school. Offers activities for a classroom climate that is responsive to children's oral language development needs. (HTH)

Language research over the past two decades has revealed that language is not something children "acquire," but rather a system they build. A key factor in this linguistic construction is children's interaction with parents or other caregivers. The studies reveal further that children's repeated interactions with books and stories and…

Children should develop communication competencies related to a broad array of communication situations involving speaking and listening as well as reading and writing. Five functions of communication (controlling, sharing feelings, informing, ritualizing, and imagining) are offered as the communication focus of a language arts program. (JMF)

The teaching activities presented in this paper focus on expanding children's language. The paper describes (1) a "community journal" activity in which students recorded observations about events occurring in various parts of the classroom, (2) a poetry assignment using Richard Wilbur's book of poetry, "Opposites," (3) an exercise to assemble…

Discusses materials in the ERIC system that deal with the concept of scaffolding, building on children's natural language, and ways teachers have translated the concept into instructional strategies. (HTH)

About and for teachers, this book examines children's language acquisition from the time they are born throughout the years of schooling. It tracks first and second language acquisition from birth through the school years using the experiences of a number of different children to exemplify stages and sequences of development. Chapters in the book…

Intended for elementary school teachers and supervisors, this collection of articles focuses on creating meaningful learning through an integrated language arts approach. Divided into three sections, the articles discuss the theoretical and practical frameworks that support program integration; examine real programs, tested procedures, and actual…