The major purpose of this book is to describe the basis, features, and future of the whole language movement. Topics included in the book include: (1) a description of what is known about language and language development; (2) presentation of a whole language perspective on literacy development, involving both reading and writing; (3) presentation…

The Augmenting Thinking through Language Acquisition Skills (ATTLAS) program was designed to increase analytical thinking abilities and English language capabilities of limited English proficient (LEP) elementary school students. The program concentrates on first through third grades, although there are some pull-out classes for grades 4-6; and…

The observations of educators and educational research have shown that academic outcomes for minority groups exposed to the same educational programs are different. The phenomenon does not seem to be due to superior intelligence, social class, or length of time in the country. Documented since the mid-1960s, this should be taken into account when…

Determining the language skill deficits of learning-disabled students may be difficult. They have many appropriate language skills, but may miss the subtlety of language. This is exemplified by their lack of awareness of morphemes and the important information that less-stressed morphemes provide. Developing or selecting a program to improve their…

A project concerning standard English acquisition among college students speaking nonstandard English is reported. A review of literature revealed that nonstandard forms of English are problematic, that few solutions to these problems exist, and that educators suggest comparative/contrastive instruction or instruction in proofreading to teach…

Yaaruilta stories are told by children of all ages in Yupik-speaking Eskimo villages in Alaska. These stories are illustrated by figures sketched in mud with a ceremonial knife. The sustained involvement and effort of the children engaged in Yaaruilta may aid cognitive development by encouraging the learning of culturally related geometrical…

A study examined patterns of development in spoken interaction and types of causal thought that might reflect the human capacity to displace, that is, to shift reference from the present moment to another moment in time. Participants were four infants and their parents, who came to a laboratory for one-half hour every 2 weeks from the child's…

Intended for teachers in training and inservice courses, the seven chapters of this book focus on children and schooling, on some of the ways child development and learning have been perceived, and on how such perceptions appear to have affected or informed the process of formal education. Fundamental to the organization of the book is the attempt…

Two studies of concept development and categorization among 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old children suggest that concept formation is a socially guided process involving convergence on an adult model. Convergence in labeling is an early strategy for shaping children's category boundaries, while later, more elaborate linguistic means are used to…

This study investigated the relationship between day care and young children's language performance. Receptive, expressive and a combined language score plus an intelligence quotient (IQ) were derived for middle-class, Caucasian 3-year-olds from intact families who attended high quality day care since infancy and were compared to the scores of…

A pilot study (using the case study, or field research format) examined the acquisition of behaviors in infants who are read to and with on a consistent basis from their first day of life through the first year. Three parent/infant teams participated in a year-long course which consisted of reading "familiar" books to the infants,…

The first (containing chapters 1 through 5) of two volumes begins a review of research regarding educational programming for bilingual handicapped students. The following major topics are addressed: (1) demography (socioeconomic ties, geographic location/residential patterns); (2) assessment (legal mandates, nondiscriminatory assessment); (3)…

The report summarizes information from a review of the literature on bilingual special education. Seven topics are addressed by consultants who were directed to prepare a synthesis of the literature, develop a comprehensive annotated bibliography, and present findings and recommendations for further research at a 2-day conference. The following…

For language minority children who have acquired English through another culture, opportunities to learn in U.S. schools are not equal, either at the point of entry or at any time thereafter. Children's ability to participate meaningfully in school learning activities is intimately linked to cognitive and social skills that presuppose specific and…

This report evaluated the fourth year of operation (1985-1986) of the Chapter 2 All-Day Kindergarten Program. The goals of this program were that the children attending show growth in reading readiness, acquisition of number concepts, and affective development. Principal findings note that (1) attendance rates were higher than citywide…