Suggesting that all students are capable of learning and can achieve high levels of competency when teachers delineate their expectations, this digest focuses on Outcome-Based Education (OBE) in the language arts classroom. The digest delineates some of the tenets of OBE, including the necessity of clearly defined objectives, students having…

A study looked at ways in which two New Zealand elementary schools responded to the interests of their multicultural communities through language programs. The schools developed Maori language instruction programs in response to community interest and recently-established national policy. The study's report begins with an overview of the major…

The purpose of this team unit is to provide students with knowledge, experience and an appreciation of technology. This unit is designed to give students an opportunity to solve problems in technology through cooperative learning activities in addition to addressing the needs of the individual student. This unit is intended to take 6 weeks for…

This revision of the "Basic/Essential Skills Taxonomy" exhibits changes based on use of the original taxonomy in the field. It features more precise definitions of the levels of key words and phrases, the deletion of some science items that ranged above basic skills, the combination of the language arts sections from the original two parts, and…

A curriculum packet is presented that is designed to give English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers the information and tools they need to help students address the issue of job discrimination, especially discrimination based on citizenship status or national origin that may result from the employer verification requirement of the Immigration…

Reflecting an integrated, constructivist approach to teaching, this book presents the content of the language arts curriculum and effective teaching strategies for teaching this content so that elementary and middle-school teachers can help students develop communicative competence. This third edition emphasizes the multicultural classroom,…

This personal narrative in book form illustrates the frustrations and successes a particular teacher and her seventh- and eighth-grade students faced every day in their classroom laboratory. It shows how the teacher used nontraditional means such as improvised classroom drama, story telling, performing and writing poetry, play writing, engaging in…

The current trend toward collaboration is having an impact on the fields of adult basic education and adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and literacy education. This digest looks at collaboration for adult ESL programs and for family bilingual and ESL literacy programs. It discusses the distinctions among cooperation, coordination, and…

Personal narratives of 20 middle-class Japanese preschoolers, half of them 4 years old and half 5 years old, and their mothers were analyzed using stanza analysis and high point analysis. The patterning in stanzas yielded the following: (1) with regard to the proportion of three-verse stanzas, there were no differences between the groups of…

Noting that racism is inherent--often in hidden ways--in all aspects of British society and is damaging to all children, this book provides thoughtful and practical support for early childhood workers to help children develop a sense of self-worth and to ensure equality of opportunity for all children. The book identifies the many ways in which…

A study was undertaken to obtain direct empirical evidence for the validity and usefulness of English as a second language (ESL) placement of a shortened version of the Secondary Level English Proficiency (SLEP) Test being used in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and locally developed and scored writing tests. The LACCD provided…

This practicum study was designed to improve the communication and social skills of 43 students (ages 14-22) with developmental disabilities by involving families in at-home treatment activities that reinforced and enhanced in-school and community-based speech/language therapy and by increasing attendance of parents at school meetings and…

A longitudinal study called The Home-School Study of Language and Literacy Development examined the relationships between the kinds of talk that children experience at home and school at ages 3 and 4 and measures of literate abilities at age 5. Subjects, 87 children in 2 cohorts of 42 and 45 children from low-income families living in the Boston,…

A study sought to determine whether gender-related differences in communication style emerge developmentally. The study focused on assertive, egalitarian, and supportive communication styles rather than using the traditional dichotomous approach, which categorizes styles as feminine or masculine. Gender differences in self-identified communication…

This report describes economic, social, and political characteristics of the lower Rio Grande Valley with implications for the educational system, and presents preliminary findings on how south Texas schools are integrating new immigrant Mexican students. The lower Rio Grande Valley comprises four Texas counties and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico.…