This report identifies the school variables (facilities, materials, equipment, class size, time, and scheduling) and teacher competencies that contribute to achievement in the basic skills. Gleaned from a literature review, the opinions of experts, research data, and identified student outcomes, the materials that accomplish the two goals are…

The view that geometry should be taught at every grade level is promoted. Primary and elementary school children are thought to rarely have any direct experience with geometry, except on an incidental basis. Children are supposed to be able to learn geometry rather easily, so long as the method and content are adapted to their development and…

The purpose of this language arts curriculum guide for grades kindergarten through twelve is to present the approved curriculum that serves as the basic core of all language arts instruction. The guide components--reading, writing, speaking, listening, and thinking--can be treated as individual disciplines, each with its own body of knowledge and…

The purpose of this publication is to show parents how they can facilitate their children's growth in reading. Section one suggests numerous parental activities to aid children's reading growth, such as reading to children, talking and listening to them, giving them responsibilities, and building a reading atmosphere at home. Sections two and…

This document is a collection of component module descriptions of competencies needed for the instruction of language arts developed during the Sixth or Eighth Cycle Teacher Corps Program of the University of Houston and Houston Independent School District, Houston, Texas. The program is a two-year graduate internship for persons holding…

Writing readiness theories and the evolution of writing styles are reviewed, noting the strengths and weaknesses related to the special needs of dyslexic or learning-disabled students. Also discussed are the Children's Handwriting Evaluation Scale and its counterpart for college students, which provide objective measures of rate and quality of…

Results of a one-word handwriting task performed by 111 physically handicapped children (ages 6-12) at the Institute for Motor Disorders (Budapest, Hungary) are discussed in the context of conductive education, orthofunction (the ability to function independently without physical aids), and the organization of instructional programs in Hungary.…

These foundation units are aimed at pupils working within Level 2 entry to Year 7. They are designed to remind pupils what they know and take them forward. The units also will teach phonics knowledge from consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words to long vowel phonemes. The writing units focus on developing the following skills: understanding what a…

Introduced to aid writing, word processing can cause unexpected problems for those who use it. Describes four studies in which raters gave word-processed essays consistently lower scores than handwritten essays. Reasons for the discrepancies were higher expectations for typed essays, ease of spotting text errors in typed text, and more difficulty…

Describes a microcomputer-based procedure that used a digitized graphics tablet to teach letter formation skills to moderately and severely retarded students aged 8-19. Handwriting instruction is discussed; modeling of the letters, corrective feedback, and reinforcement techniques are explained; and results of pretests and posttests are…

The English compositions of two groups of Hong Kong secondary school students learning English as a Second Language were compared. Results found that students who used computer word processors, on the whole, wrote better compositions than students who used pen and paper. (46 references) (MDM)

Seventeen fourth and fifth graders with severe writing disabilities received a weekly one-hour individual tutorial which focused equally on transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition skills. Students showed reliable improvement in composition and handwriting automaticity but not in spelling. Suggestions for teaching phonological…

Discusses emergent literacy development, which includes meaningful literacy-related activities involving oral language, reading, and writing. Offers suggestions for fostering children's development in each area, such as the use of picture books and puppets for vocabulary development; reading aloud and discussing children's literature; and…

Describes how caregivers can support young children's writing development. Outlines stages of writing: scribbling, drawing, invented letters, random letters, copying words, developmental spelling, and conventional spelling. Provides tips on what to say to children in each stage of writing. (KB)

This practicum was designed to remediate handwriting skills in school-aged children who displayed visual-motor deficiencies that affect mechanical skills. Practicum goals were to: (1) identify and diagnose children with handwriting delays; (2) involve school and parent interaction by involving them with pre- and post-program assessment; (3)…