Developed by 40 primary teachers and 10 elementary principals from small school districts in Washington, this handbook contains sequenced student learning objectives for grades K-3 in science and social studies and for grades K-8 in reading, language arts, and mathematics. The handbook is designed to assist teachers with the improvement of…

The forces or pressures that have produced a concern for fundamental skills of literacy are briefly considered, and a number of related questions are raised about willingness and capabilities for dealing with the issues in a deliberative, systematic manner. A major premise is the belief that the back-to-basics movement can be understood best in…

This study attempted to determine the comparative effects of alternative instructional methods on the achievement of selected community college students. The study divided 175 students enrolled in a developmental writing course into experimental and control groups. Experimental students were separated into two sub-groups: those involved in…

If English teachers are an endangered species, as is sometimes said, they must attempt to survive by adapting to a changing environment and explaining their work to the public. Community college teachers should teach critical reading skills by starting with materials relevant to students' lives, should teach writing by stressing conceptual skills…

The need for basic skills instruction at the college level is discussed in light of the history of United States educational standards, changes in college student populations, and indicators of need for basic skills programs. Historically, it appears as if basic skills instruction has always been needed at the college level to aid the…

Sample notional writing materials for use with advanced level ESL students are presented. The basic assumption is that effective writing demands a feel for one's audience and a sense of purpose, integrating function (what is being said), situation (to whom it is being said), and grammar (how it is being said). The functions selected are those that…

A study involving English Composition and Remedial English classes at five community colleges was conducted during Winter 1978 to test the effectiveness of the Response System with Variable Prescriptions (RSVP) Program for Individualized Analysis of Writing, a software package designed to produce feedback statements that reinforce student learning…

In order to compose equivalent certification tests in the basic skills in reading, mathematics calculations and applications, and writing for high school graduation requirements, the San Jose Unified School District, California, used the Rasch computer program to arrive at the scaled difficulty level of test items. The procedure for achieving a…

A TEACHER'S EXPERIENCE IN GUIDING A GROUP OF 40 FOURTH-GRADERS IN WRITING A BOOK IS REPORTED, AND THE BOOK IS INCLUDED. PROVIDED ARE DESCRIPTIONS OF--(1) THE STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS OF WRITING EACH CHAPTER OF THE BOOK, (2) THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDENTS'"OWN ENGLISH BOOK"--RULES FOR USAGE, SPELLING, PUNCTUATION, AND CAPITALIZATION,…

A report is presented on a two-year project developed by the Cleveland Public Schools to develop and pilot-test a "packaged" curriculum model designed to support both the basic and functional skill development of high school students in each of five major content areas--English, social studies, mathematics, science, and…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with the following topics: the dynamics of creative expression, modular scheduling and student success in freshman composition, growth in writing ability through immersion in a university discipline, massed and…

Procedures and results of a project to develop and verify a list of communication skills that students in postsecondary vocational technical institutes should possess upon graduation are presented in this report. A list of forty-six competencies was developed and sent to 765 vocational technical adult education (VTAE) graduates and 740 employers…

This is an instruction book for the bilingual teacher of the St. Lawrence Island Yupik language. This guide accompanies the beginning primer, "Atightumun Liitusit" ("The First Letters"). Each sound in the language has a definite letter or combination of letters that represents it. The primer presents the alphabet letter by…

This book provides a background guide to the creative teaching of integrated English in the contemporary primary school. Part 1 suggests that everything done in the primary school is part of an integrated language program, but that some classification is desirable so that important aspects are not neglected. Parts 2, 3, and 4 look at the special…

Departing from the prescriptive approach to teaching advanced Spanish composition and stylistics, this manual is based on the analysis of constructions and style in contemporary Spanish literature--particularly the drama. The 20 sections emphasize linguistic difficulties of a conceptual nature rather than factual information. Topics include: (1)…