A study examined the effect of a whole-language-type program for learning sentence structure with high school students in a dropout prevention program. Subjects, 60 students in a Chicago, Illinois public school dropout prevention program, were randomly assigned to a control or experimental group and were administered a diagnostic pre- and posttest…

Based on a teacher's 14 years of experience in teaching writing, this manual was developed to help General Educational Development (GED) teachers to guide adults to improve their writing ability in preparation for the GED test. The manual is organized in four sections. The first section is a discussion of frequent concerns and problems that…

A practicum developed a whole language kindergarten at-home reading program. The target group was 27 sets of parents of children in a kindergarten classroom who volunteered to participate. The objectives were to increase the parents' knowledge of whole language techniques; increase their level of comfort in using whole language techniques at home…

A year-long thematic unit for fifth-graders combines critical thinking and whole language frameworks to help students retain, understand, and make active use of knowledge within and across domains. Using systematic instruction in critical thinking, students explore the fundamental human concepts of race, sex, age, and power. David…

This report examines outcomes of the Primary Language Record (PLR), a program for systematically observing students in various aspects of their literacy development. The PLR uses classroom events and samples of student work to record students' progress and interests, recommend strategies for addressing needs and building on talents, and discuss…

Literature based reading can be used as a means of introducing and reinforcing geographic concepts. Every story has a setting. The setting is the time and place. Setting is representative of the five fundamental themes of geography. Teachers can integrate geographic skills in order to enhance the student understanding of the text. Geographic…

This paper examines literature on early intervention programs for disadvantaged and culturally diverse children from the 1960s to the present. The focus is on Project Head Start and its history, follow-through support programs in the primary grades, and current research on emergent literacy. The background of Project Head Start is provided, and…

Originally developed as part of a project for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on writing strategies for gifted children is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes an overview of the project; a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a…

This cooperative lesson for students of English as a Second Language (ESL) has students from different cultural and language backgrounds write folk tales from their native cultures and compile them into a book. Each four-member team is constructed based on student variables, including ethnicity, personality, academic ability, language functioning,…

A review of selected research studies and practices on the teaching of literacy to limited English proficient (LEP) students suggests that there is considerable variation in the way literacy is defined. Several methods currently being used to develop LEP students' literacy skills are reviewed. Many LEP students continue to be taught reading skills…

A study was conducted to determine the appropriateness of a particular whole language program, entitled "Project Victory," designed specifically for a group of high-risk, seventh-grade students in a predominately urban intermediate public school. Subjects were 20 students identified as high-risk by their school district on the basis of…

A case study of an at-risk student in a whole language "transition first grade" (representing an extra year between kindergarten and first grade) classroom chronicles her transition from an anxious and withdrawn student to an enthusiastic learner. Although it took nearly a month for the student to relax in the classroom, she then responded eagerly…

Three basic beliefs support teaching: (1) learning is social and individual; (2) learning must be personally meaningful; (3) learning rests upon a knowledge base that is constructed, not transmitted. The first step to creating an environment which supports learning in meaningful ways is for the teacher and students to become better inquirers into…

Whole language has to do with beliefs about language and learners that lead to beliefs about curriculum and instructional procedures. The term emerged as a label for the way language is thought to be learned: as a cohesive organization of systems working together as one--as a whole. The term whole language also refers to the learner as being…

Intended for reading professionals, this yearbook contains 13 articles dealing with reading and allied fields divided into 2 sections: "Issues" and "Practices." The following articles focus on issues: "Wish Fulfillment and Other Dangers in Reading" (Joan Develin Coley); "Emergent Reading Research: Synthesis and…