Developed by the Oregon Elementary English Project, the lessons in this second of a two-part unit on the human language intended for grades three and four revolve around the character Sad Sam, who gets lost in the woods and happens to observe four animals (bears, raccoons, geese, and robins). Having been introduced to Sad Sam in lesson 1, the…

The effects of systematically varying the administration procedure of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) for Anglo and Spanish American children were studied. Procedures used were standard, verbal feedback and monetary feedback for correct answers. Ninety rural 5th grade students from southern New Mexico were divided into 3 groups…

Thirty essays on language and communication in their contemporary social contexts are brought together in this volume which differs significantly from other language readers in that it (1) treats only those aspects of the subjects that have demonstrated their appeal to a wide range of students, (2) emphasizes their social and cultural…

A course designed to aid the student in developing effective skills for critical listening and listening for comprehension of ideas. Clear articulation, effective voice production, acceptable pronunciation, pitch variation, rhythm and phrasing are also practiced for cultural growth and social maturity. The course outline consists of: I.…

Recent studies suggest that the language deficiency often attributed to disadvantaged children, especially disadvantaged black children, is not a language deficit so much as a difficulty in dialect switching. The disadvantaged child's language patterns are different from the language patterns of the child from the mainstream of American society. A…

An experiment was performed in which 155 undergraduate student subjects were provided with information about a stimulus person whose behavioral consistency varied on several issues. The study assumed that if the individual's behavior on the relevant topic was consistent, then behavior on the other issues should have no impact on persuasiveness,…

Two specific questions were addressed in the study: (1) Do student teachers from randomly selected in-center situations verbally interact with students differently than randomly-selected non-center student teachers? and (2) Do cente student teachers have concerns that are different from those of non-center student teachers? Data was gathered from…

Paralinguistic and kinesic expression begin at birth and are essential to the development of language. Rhythm, for example, a suprasegmental event, appears to be present at birth or prior to birth. The relationship of physiology to communication is evident in the observations of extra-linguistic aspects of communication, such as movement, the use…

A formal observation technique was used in an urban classroom context to assess the verbal and nonverbal-visual behavior of 17 Navajo and 7 Caucasian children. Two statistical techniques revealed significant intergroup differences in verbal and nonverbal-visual style. ( Author)

Interaction process analysis was used to study the verbal behavior patterns of 10 junior high science teachers. For each teacher, the highest and lowest ability intact classes with whom the teacher worked were studied. Findings revealed that teachers were significantly more indirect and asked more divergent and evaluative questions of the higher…

Construct validity of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised using 189 Black, 184 Hispanic, and 187 White 6- to 11-year-olds was investigated. A two-factor solution yielded similar loadings corresponding to verbal comprehension and perceptual organization for all three groups. Three-factor solutions yielded similar loadings for…

Reports a study which examined objective ratings of the moral issues expressed in the Defining Issues Test (DIT) items in relation to verbal reports of the reasoning with which those ratings were generated. Finds that differences in the educational level of the subjects were significant. A case is made for verbal assessment of information on…

Focuses on the language used by elementary mathematics teachers and its relationship to students' understanding of mathematical concepts, as well as their misconceptions. Describes eight situations in which the use of precise, formal mathematical terms could be replaced by informal language, particularly when introducing new concepts. (TW)

Examines questions related to whether children with severe learning disabilities go through the same developmental stages as children without such problems, or whether they develop along different lines. Explores the "delay" versus "deviance" issue in relation to linguistic development in children with Down's syndrome. Looks…

Reviews aspects of the educational environment that impact on apprehensive students; examines the influence of task structure on student performance; and suggests ways structure can be used effectively to enhance communication competence among students at various need levels, specifically those with high or low communication apprehension. (JD)