As a teacher of Bowling Green State University's English 3810, Grammar and Writing, the author is charged with teaching future language arts teachers how to teach grammar so that it actually helps their students become better writers and communicators. Because such teaching rejects the ineffective but time-honored drill-it-and-kill-it approach, in…

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…

Unless educators can learn from past extremes, the current emphasis on literature and whole language instruction may undermine phonics and other necessary principles. Fortunately, a reborn emphasis on writing will assist the development of accurate decoding and stress the phonemic structure of language. Educators must embrace "best" trends and…

Argues that teachers must find ways to create a nurturing environment where feelings of self-worth are fostered and where intellectual curiosity and enjoyment of learning are developed. Contends that reading and writing should be taught in a way that fosters the development of autonomy in children. (MDM)

Embracing aspects of both whole language and explicit instruction, this book discusses the creation of dynamic learning environments in which students discuss books, write for authentic audiences, and become published authors. Chapter 1 defines explicit instruction and whole language and discusses a combination approach, and it also includes a…

Although the whole language perspective requires no money, it does involve "kid watching," or knowledge of individual class members and their interests. As the experiences of two elementary teachers illustrate, educators need only look to their own backyards and to past/present historical events for rich instructional material. Includes three…

Spelling instruction for students with deafness is examined in the context of the whole-language approach. Stages in the development of spelling ability are identified, and five strategies for young writers are suggested. (DB)

A teacher at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf (District of Columbia) recounts how she learned to use the Whole Language approach to writing instruction, to encourage student writing and conduct teacher/student conferences, and to stimulate students' reading interests. (DB)

With the introduction of the "whole language" approach to literacy and an emphasis on "across the curriculum" learning, the effective instruction of writing has taken on an added importance during the past two decades in California. Recent public demands for a "back to basics" school curriculum where the mastering of…

The goals outlined in the California Language Arts Framework (1987) include a call for Language Arts instruction that promotes a love of reading through a sense of personal fulfillment, a sense of effectiveness through which students acquire a range of lifelong learning strategies that foster full participation in the world of work and the access…

Offers the author's reflections on how and why she adjusted her limited implementation of whole language teaching by integrating literature and writing, using novels that reflect issues of significance to students, having students write for real audiences, and creating democracy in the classroom where students think, discuss, and act critically on…

At the Arkansas School for the Deaf, high school students use electronic mail to correspond with friends in other places, including those met on electronic bulletin boards. Uses of electronic mail are addressed in the context of whole-language instruction. Specific networks appropriate for children, including KendallNet (linking schools for the…

The paper presented at this conference, the theme of which was "Celebrating Literacy," focused on theories and applications of literature-based education and the use of holistic methods across the curriculum. Following an introduction by the editors, the book contains the following 12 papers: "Windows and Mirrors: Children's Books…

Explores the challenge of making the transition from a traditional basal-oriented language-arts program to a literature-based program. States that initiating a literature-based reading program requires an appreciation and grasp of the whole language philosophy. Offers suggestions for implementing this approach. (MG)

Professors in a Communication Arts methods course for preservice and inservice elementary school teachers sought to move the content of the language arts curriculum from a direct instruction to a whole language model. A transformation came about as one professor realized that her efforts to enthusiastically convey the importance of authentic…