Describes an approach to teaching standard English to basic students that puts them at ease. Discusses "linguistic drift," the changes that take place in language over time. Describes a daily one-minute-drill listening exercise in standard English that is effective and leaves most of classtime to explore rich verbal experiences. (PRA)

A program was developed and implemented for use with college freshmen at a community college in southeast Florida whose entrance examination scores fell below the acceptable range for admission into a regular English classroom. These students lacked an adequate background in basic English language skills, had an insufficient understanding of the…