Investigates nationwide practices in language instruction, the nature of changes, and perceptions and reactions of teachers. Finds that 85% of teachers followed a curriculum guide; teachers appeared to react diversely to the philosophy of whole language; and whole language appeared to be gaining a foothold in suburban schools of approximately 300…

Describes classroom activities that integrate math concepts with environmental science, demography, and language arts. The lesson helps students understand the competition between natural resources and the law of supply and demand. (HTH)

Use of classic book units with gifted elementary students is described as an interdisciplinary approach to stimulating student interest. Sample activities are offered from a unit on Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn," with linguistic, artistic-creative, scientific, mathematical, and socio-leadership activities, classified as application,…

As experiences of two first graders show, learning occurs in split-second initiatives that children take with others as they try to attend, engage, interact, communicate, and reason. Before children can learn reading, writing, and arithmetic, they must know how to learn. Children cannot learn two-way communication with gestures, words, or symbols…

Describes activities that use a literature- and activity-based approach to teach phonetic skills effectively without using phonics workbooks and worksheets. Activities relate to special letter days during which new letters are featured, games, literature and poetry, music and nursery rhymes, art, writing, and math. (SM)

Interviews a group of New York teachers to investigate the issues that teachers confront as they make the transition to whole language and attempt to sustain it. Discusses the amount of work involved in whole language instruction; relations with other faculty members, administrators, and parents; organization of instruction; defining whole…

Determines whether reading comprehension scores of intermediate-grade language-deficient students improved with use of literature-based integrated language (whole language) instruction. Finds a significant gain after 25 weeks of instruction. Suggests that the effectiveness of whole language instruction may be significantly enhanced with the use of…

Notes that experimental subjects were trained to segment and spell phonetically regular words, whereas controls were trained to read letters, words, and text. Finds that trained subjects made significant gains and were better than controls at posttest in measures of reading nonsense words, real words, and oral passages, but not of silent reading…

Advocates synergistic pedagogy, in which all the school subjects are related and taught in such a manner that they are almost inseparable. Demonstrates how this might be done with an interdisciplinary theme on the stars. (SR)

This article examines the conflict between literature-based or whole-language approaches to reading/literacy instruction and the direct instruction approach, as used with students having or at risk for learning disabilities. It concludes that each approach is often depicted in an idealized fashion but that, in practice, the approaches overlap and…

Reviews the typical approach (synthetic phonics) to teaching reading in Finland. Suggests that teachers in English-speaking countries can learn from problems Finnish teachers face and vice versa. Finds that, despite a highly regular writing system, Finnish teachers find that a heavy phonics emphasis does not solve their reading instruction…

Change began in Saint Charles (Illinois) School District with a few teachers implementing new ideas in their own classrooms. Organized change began as principals and other administrators encouraged teachers to learn and grow. While teachers were developing process writing and whole-language programs, district embraced systemic change by entrusting…

Discusses the use of literature in the whole-language approach. Examples show the integration of a second grader's experiences with the curriculum; integrating the language arts in the middle school via study of the author as well as the book; and the integration of literature into the study of history. Titles to use in each area are suggested.…

Discusses three children who successfully learned phonics in three very different instructional settings (conventional, whole language, and tutoring in a learning center). Notes that the children developed in similar ways, yet at different rates; the teachers nudged the learners toward literacy development; and writing was a part of the curriculum…

Provides a brief synopsis of whole-language characteristics that could be germane to analyses of basal programs. Presents an assessment tool designed to assist teachers, administrators, and curriculum adoption teams in evaluating the degree to which commercial basal reader programs adhere to whole-language characteristics. (RS)