A whole language philosophy can guide the use of computers to enhance the teaching of composition and provide cautions against their misuse. A whole language classroom is student-centered. When computers are introduced into a classroom, the technology tends to draw attention to itself, making the machine the center of the lessons, forcing students…

Discusses whole-language learning in Indiana classrooms, its philosophical origin and appropriate educational environment. The article offers a set of beliefs about whole-language teaching and presents guidelines to help schools restructure their thinking about the curriculum and learning climate. (SM)

The creative writing process, like any writing process, begins with a prewriting activity. Story starters are one such activity which teachers can use to begin the creative writing process with their students. For example, large cartoon-like characters made on an opaque projector can be used to initiate discussion. The second step requires a…

Discusses the role of the intermediate whole-language teacher, including creating a proper environment, emphasizing meaning, encouraging risk taking, providing sufficient learning time, focusing on students, encouraging collaboration, using whole pieces of language, using the best literature, teaching skills in context, evaluating, and integrating…

Through an imaginary dialogue with her grandmother, a first-grade teacher reflects on the educational methods which her grandmother used and referred to in her journals and discusses the whole language methods used in schools today. A whole language classroom is described as a busy place where activity abounds and conversations buzz. Whole…

Whole language represents only one of many good concepts about teaching reading to children, but it is not for everybody. Because whole language is a philosophy rather than a specific method, educational practitioners can incorporate different aspects of this philosophy to different degrees. If teachers think of a continuum of theoretical bases…

Emergent and beginning readers demonstrate many predictable behaviors in the kindergarten classroom, yet every child is making sense out of print in his or her own way. The job of the kindergarten teacher is to help each child to continue developing as a reader and writer. Reading and writing materials are accessible and usable throughout a…

The basic assumption of this book is that reading and writing in school should be natural and enjoyable for children, and its ideas are based on the Piagetian theory that knowledge is constructed by each individual and the psycholinguistic view that learning takes place best when viewed as holistic and when instructional materials for children are…

Whole language has to do with beliefs about language and learners that lead to beliefs about curriculum and instructional procedures. The term emerged as a label for the way language is thought to be learned: as a cohesive organization of systems working together as one--as a whole. The term whole language also refers to the learner as being…

Examines how changes in the view of the universe led to whole-language learning, a collaborative process which considers the social contexts of language. Suggests that whole language is not a teaching method but a belief and discusses how to transform teaching into a learning experience. (SM)

Noting that more and more teachers are persuaded by the wisdom of teaching reading and writing together and keeping an emphasis on understanding children's early literacy learning, this third edition refines the presentation of two earlier editions to make it more useful for teachers who are setting up and teaching emergent literacy programs. The…

Based on years of classroom observation, this book presents the thesis that powerful, critical, active, productive literacy can be achieved systematically, and regularly, with large numbers of the school population, if the principles currently known as the whole language approach are applied. The book is based on the assumptions that learning to…

Intended for classroom teachers, this book presents classroom practices grounded in theory and focused on process. The first chapter provides the knowledge base that unifies the entire book and lays the foundation for whole language instruction. The second chapter discusses three classrooms that exemplify the whole language classrooms where the…

Intended for teachers from kindergarten through adult education and for administrators, this book demonstrates how teachers have created environments that facilitate whole language evaluation. Articles in the book discuss strategies used in evaluating students' growth across many curricular areas, including reading, writing, and second language…

Intended for practitioners, this book presents a curricular framework for classroom reading and writing experiences that help students understand how reading and writing relate to reasoning and learning. The two sections of the book are organized around three major components of curriculum and how each component was realized in three Indiana…