A practicum was designed to motivate first-grade students in a rural community in the southeastern United States to read independently for pleasure in the classroom and at home. A whole language program was implemented which did not include the use of basal readers or workbooks. Children's literature was the primary source used for reading…

A practicum sought to measure and document real learning in natural circumstances through the use of whole language assessment techniques involving observation checklists on which skills for the language arts (writing, spelling, reading) were listed. Skills were measured using descriptor words such as "stable,""evident," and…

A practicum was developed to improve the inferential comprehension, the textual and functional skills, and the overall attitudes toward reading of fifth-grade students. A target group of six students in a private school who were deficient in these skills was established. The practicum contained basic strategies for improving reading skills and…

A practicum was developed to assist prekindergarten teachers present a whole language approach in their already developmentally appropriate classes. Six teachers from three classrooms serving 63 four- and five-year-old children participated in on-site training and weekly consultations. The teachers were all experienced paraprofessionals with Child…

A practicum was designed to increase the writing opportunities of 37 prekindergarten children in three classes through staff development. Formal and informal surveys of prekindergarten teachers confirmed the need for more information on child development, the development of the writing process, and prekindergarten whole language. A series of…

A practicum was designed and implemented to foster 24 second graders' literacy and language development via child-centered as opposed to curriculum-centered experiences. The primary goal was to improve students' quality and quantity of writing by allowing extra time, much exposure to more and various non-basal literature, hands-on activities, and…

A practicum explored the use of instructional materials based on the whole language approach to second language learning in adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction. The approach was implemented in a beginning ESL classroom at an adult education center that had previously used publisher textbooks, which were not thought to provide…

An instructional program was designed to improve the oral language skills of kindergarten students. The target group consisted of 10 students who, according to their scores on the Yellow Brick Road Language Battery, were in need of a strong language development program. The instructional plan was based on the Shared Book Experience and other…

A practicum was designed to increase the amount of recreational reading by secondary school students, and to improve students' attitude toward reading, thus decreasing disruptive behaviors in the classroom. A whole language workshop approach was implemented over an 8-month period in two high school English classes, grades 10 and 11, college…

The practicum reported in this paper addressed the high percentage of children receiving below average grades in an average first grade reading comprehension class by implementing an integrated approach to reading. Various screening devices, a survey of kindergarten teachers, the Dolch Basic Sight Word Test, the Analytical Reading Inventory (Woods…

A practicum designed to help prospective teachers explore instructional approaches that differ from their intrinsic beliefs about how reading should be taught is described in this report. Particular emphasis was placed on using the whole language approach, as opposed to the more traditional basal reader or skills oriented approaches to reading.…

A parental involvement program was developed and implemented in a prekindergarten class setting. The program focused on using a "talking" computer to bring the adults into the classroom to work with the students. The program featured child-generated, parent-transcribed, computer-reproduced whole language stories for use at home and school. Parents…

Outcomes of a staff development program based on the whole language philosophy that was implemented in a rural Florida elementary school are presented in this practicum report. Two surveys of 29 and 35 faculty, respectively, indicated needs for faculty cohesiveness, a unified purpose, and an update of language arts teaching skills. A staff…

A practicum provided child-centered activities for 20 kindergarten children during regular school hours. Goals for the practicum were to: (1) develop literacy; (2) increase social interaction between the teacher and the child through verbal and body language communication which weaves reading and writing into the relationship; and (3) obtain a…

The goals of this practicum were to help teachers of at-risk kindergarten children become more knowledgeable of developmentally appropriate practices for 5-year-olds, and to research, define, and translate appropriate literacy development theory into practical application strategies for teachers. A needs assessment survey was developed and…