The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy of whole language instruction versus phonics instruction for improving reading fluency and spelling accuracy. The participants were the first grade students in the researcher's general education classroom of a non-Title I school. Stratified sampling was used to randomly divide…

For centuries societies have understood the importance of art in relationship to other disciplines. Many great artists were also writers and poets. Many artists were well educated in classical literature from which they drew inspiration for paintings and sculptures. The document argues that the obvious meeting place for the two disciplines of art…

Discussing the "Whole Language and More '93" meeting, this paper presents a series of helpful how-to's (and some valuable caveats) for those involved in conference planning. The first part of the paper presents a discussion of 10 steps the conference organizer would take again, including: promoting the conference; organizing various…

A study investigated whether instruction in spelling would affect acquisition of the alphabetic strategy by beginning readers. Subjects, 28 beginning first- and second-graders of average or above-average intellectual ability in whole language classrooms, participated in small group training for two 20 minute periods a week for 6.5 months.…

Because of the increased influence of the whole language approach at the elementary and middle school levels and the increased emphasis on enriching instruction through reading across the curriculum, one alternative approach to teaching science which has received some attention from science and science education organizations is the use of…

This bibliography lists 106 items of children's literature suitable for use in a whole language classroom. The bibliography is divided into 15 sections, including alphabet books; rhythm, rhyme, and song; science and health; inventions and cures; mystery; fairy tales and folk tales; Native Americans; fun with language; math; friends; jokes and…

A recurring theme within the prolific body of research on reader response is that of reader stance. Although several prominent theories of reader response spring from different perspectives, they share one common property: each describes reader response in terms of two opposed domains with particular responses falling somewhere on a continuum…

Although whole language teachers say they no longer consider readability evaluation (in the sense of measuring word and sentence length) in the selection of literature for their classrooms, they do have criteria for matching the readers or prospective readers in their classroom to literary materials. Teachers in whole language classrooms see the…

Until recently, computer technology has been used as a glorified worksheet, word processor, and CD-ROM interactive reader. Now, technology can move well beyond these basic functions into improving literacy skills and strategies, problem solving, and communication. This paper addresses methods in which a balanced literacy program, wherein the…

Change in teaching practice is a popular theme in literacy education. A case study examined the nature of the change process in a teacher in a large Caribbean island school district who made a personal decision to change instructional practices from skills-based methods to whole language methods. Through data collection and analysis, a metaphor,…

This paper considers the status and potential of researcher-practitioner collaboration toward higher literacy through a restructured curriculum based on the whole language philosophy. Specifically, it examines the status, contribution, and potential of the dialogue in a whole language topical session on the School Renewal Network, an electronic…

Since the rise of the whole language movement, Sylvia Ashton-Warner's key vocabulary, individualized reading, and experience charts have been notable for their omission from the many books available on whole language. Whole language strength is notable in at least four major areas: (1) its learner-centeredness; (2) its scorn of commercial…

Educators at Georgia Southern University began using a whole language approach to developmental literacy instruction by adapting the model David Bartholomae and Anthony Petrosky provide in "Facts, Artifacts, and Counterfacts." Rather than a focus on information retrieval and transfer, whole language curricula encourage students to engage…

This document contains a statement of the Moline School District's language learning philosophy and goals, and articulates the district's philosophy of providing students with language learning skills necessary to become life-long learners. The document includes specific objectives and anticipated student outcomes for the following: life-long…

The ability to deal effectively with student differences is crucial to teaching reading. Teachers must address the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students in the regular classroom. The ability of teachers to handle differences effectively translates into instructional practices that provide for each student's self-respect and that…