Examines psychologist David R. Olson's current work on children's language development and its possible educational implications. Stresses the increasing tendency to investigate children's language development in relation to their thinking and learning rather than in isolation and to include literacy development in the oral language development…

Contains an interview with journalist Edwin Newman in which Newman urges that students be taught to use language with greater precision, and a response to Newman by John S. Mayher and Rita S. Brause. (DD)

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)

An article first printed in "Elementary English" in September 1953 which reviews language acquisition and development in children. (DD)

Discusses how the socioeconomic "caste system" operates to differentiate education, and addresses questions concerning the definition of mainstream competence and the labeling of students as unfit or incompetent. Discusses the shortcomings of the three solutions for language incompetence. (HTH)

A participant in a British teacher workshop that focused on student talk describes the progress of the group toward defining the types of language they wanted to focus on in the classroom and the group's publication of weekly progress reports. (HTH)

Asserts that observation is the key to discovering what non-native students already know about English and what their inclinations and abilities are when they enter the classroom. Documents a first-grade teacher's experiences with second-language learners in her classroom. (MM)

Suggests approaches to the teaching of figures of speech. (DD)

Focuses on important background information for working with English language learners. Uses two vignettes to illustrate some important issues that teachers may wish to consider when making instructional decisions with their English language learners. Explores the best practices for working with English language learners. (SG)

Argues that literacy in the 1980s means the power to use language for one's own purposes as well as those of society. Explores the classroom phase of exercising this power through the critical commentary and discussion of social issues of three students in a lower-class London school. (HTH)

Reviews 43 recently-published collections of poetry for children that were considered by the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Committee. Groups them in terms of: evoking an image or idea; visual poetry; word play; and the voice. (SR)

Contains representative selections from issues of "Language Arts" from its sixth decade of publication. Includes articles, editorials, and ads reflecting trends in English education that are currently of conern, such as declining test scores, censorship, the "back to basics" trend, and recognition of nonstandard dialects. (HTH)

Reports a case study which reveals that children use the knowledge they hold about what writing is for, how writing is created, and the conventions of writing in their first language to help them write successfully in the second language. (MM)

Examines the value of literature response groups by gathering information about the dialogue occurring within them. Studies the content of talk, the functions of language in use, and evidence of reading comprehension. Finds that literature response groups are a good resource for helping children communicate through talk in the classroom. (MS)