Provides a sample whole language matrix that systematically organizes the multitude of activities and strategies of an integrated curriculum. Discusses how this matrix may be helpful for teacher planning and documentation for administrators and parents. (MG)

This paper examines the media and political landscapes within which "whole language" is currently constituted in Australia. Through surveying the themes and rhetoric deployed in media texts over recent years, we consider how "whole language" has been taken up as part of a wider media campaign around education generally. We…

Seikatsu tsuzurikata is a grassroots movement in Japan that has many parallels to the whole language movement, but it developed completely independently, beginning in the late 1920s. Our research into this movement was conducted in 1984 and described in Kitagawa and Kitagawa (1987). We are now updating our earlier research. Seikatsu tsuzurikata is…

Whole language versus phonics: the debate rages on over the proper techniques for teaching reading. Whole language is a child-centered, literature based approach to language teaching that will immerse the students in real communication. The reasons placed behind whole language teaching are based on linguistics, pedagogy, and psychology. In the…

Explores what "grammar" means. Suggests that grammar has a place in the writing classroom and the whole-language classroom. Suggests that modifying "grammar" with adjectives such as "functional" and "rhetorical" can contribute to positive, meaningful changes in the language arts curriculum. (RS)

Presents ideas for literacy-enriched birthday parties and other nonschool celebrations in family and community contexts. Discusses whole language birthday parties, other literature-related family events, and enrichment of other nonschool activities with literature. (SR)

Offers a story which highlights the need for whole language teachers to negotiate understandings about literacy learning by inviting principals and others to engage meaningful dialogue. (SR)

Criticism of Stephen Karshen's June 2002 "Kappan" article "Whole Language and the Great Plummet of 1987-92: An Urban Legend from California." Argues that Karshen's analysis of the California Achievement Program reading scores is wrong. (PKP)

Compares the whole-language approach to the language experience approach. Notes that the major criticisms cited of language experience appear to be cited of whole language. Suggests that the tenets of whole language fit into preparing for the year 2000 and discusses the survival of the movement in relation to teacher preparation. (RS)

This article introduces a special section on the whole-language approach. The five articles discuss whole language's roots, whole language in the classroom, two schools that have embraced whole language, and whole-language resources. (SM)

Considers theory, research, and techniques associated with whole-language and skill-based approaches to reading (including issues related to teaching phonics and reading comprehension) to see how remedial children can best be served. Examines ways group activities and cooperative learning can support remedial children. (SR)

Presents five grouping patterns for whole-language classrooms, intended to provide children with flexibility and complement other approaches to organizing instruction: shared reading, sharing meetings, literature circles, skill groups, and strategy groups. (SR)

Describes things the author learned from presentations at the 2001 Whole Language Umbrella conference, including: not many classroom teachers attended the conference; classroom teachers and professors need each other; people take pride in the whole language name; the most powerful force in a classroom is an expert teacher; and building a community…

As we strive to help pre-service teachers understand both why and how to teach for social justice, we face the challenge of making whole language teaching less abstract and intangible. Frequently pre-service teachers understand the principles of teaching for social justice but have no sense of how to infuse them into their teaching. They accept…

The aim of this study was to determine whether explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonemically based decoding skills would be an effective intervention strategy for children with early reading difficulties in a whole language instructional environment. Twenty-four 6- and 7-year-old struggling readers were randomly assigned to an…