Examines and discusses ways in which the presentation mode can affect children's talk when they are engaging in dramatic dialog. Gives special attention to those differences in language that occur across varying contexts of situation in drama. (HTH)

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

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…

Based on an examination of research on the language acquisition of children, the articles in this book are organized into three interrelated sections. Section one, "Language and the Young Language Learner," focuses on what and how children learn as they begin to acquire their language. The topic of language differences is also explored. Articles…

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)

Intended for classroom teachers, this book suggests some approaches to assessing children's language, describes some practices, and advises teachers of some of the problems in child language assessment. Chapter one provides illustrations of assessing child language usage, including looking at a piece of writing, administering a reading test,…

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

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)

Arguing that talk has an important place in the English language arts curriculum and across the whole curriculum, this book presents examples of children and teachers talking together, talking about what they are doing "here and now," and talking about what they know and feel about events shaping the world beyond the classroom. Chapter…

Intended for the language arts teacher, this book focuses on how to develop children's language skills. The opening chapter of the book presents a brief overview of child language acquisition, children's language abilities at a particular age, and how these abilities develop. The second chapter, on the importance of children's literature, is based…

The discussion and activities in this booklet are designed to "tune in" language arts teachers to children's language so that they appreciate and respond properly to student language development. Chapter topics include responding to authentic/inauthentic child language, keeping records of children's spontaneous language and relating the words to…

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…

Analyzes the written language learning of kindergarten children as a transaction among writers, teachers, and the writing process and concludes that children, when given the opportunity to take risks with written language, create with semantic intent. (DF)

Evidence from the language use of young children is used to question accepted notions of language development and instruction in the three papers in this compilation. The first paper, "Young Children Challenge the Belief That Language Needs to be Taught Sequentially," challenges the notion of sequential development in which oral language…