Illustrates the variety of materials available in the ERIC system, from lesson plans and teaching guides to classroom games and descriptions of individualized activities, for planning language arts lessons. (DD)

Explores the philosophy behind Haiku and discusses 11 characteristics basic to this form of poetry to help teachers better understand it. (HTH)

Suggests three attitudes that teachers should cultivate to become good storytellers: awareness of the importance of telling stories, commitment to learning how to tell a favorite story, and respect for the listeners' rights to interpret the story for themselves. (AEA)

The use of creative dramatics in the elementary school classroom for developing in students awareness of the world around them is discussed in this interview with Brian Way, a noted contributor in the field of drama and children's theatre. (HTH)

Provides a nine-item annotated bibliography of publications in the ERIC database related to literature and the language arts. Offers useful resources that satisfy a variety of professional needs. (MG)

Decries the way in which British education has reduced or eliminated the animation or essence of narrative. Explores the features that give narrative importance broader and deeper than the purely literary values customarily given it, and provides a rationale for keeping storytelling in the curriculum to enhance students' writing. (HTH)

Examines and discusses ways in which the presentation mode can affect children's talk when they are engaging in dramatic dialog. Gives special attention to those differences in language that occur across varying contexts of situation in drama. (HTH)

Discusses the art of riddling and its potential contribution to the elementary school language arts program, including a description of stages of riddling competence of children in the five-to-11 year age range and an examination of riddling efforts gathered from two classrooms. (HTH)

Seven characteristics of an effective spelling program, supported by multiple independent research studies, are examined along with their implications for learning to spell. (HTH)

Suggests approaches to the teaching of figures of speech. (DD)

Discusses the phonics v whole-word controversy in the teaching of reading and defends the use of the phonics approach for certain purposes. (DD)

Discusses six professional resources and three classroom resources that can help practitioners decide what they should be doing and what they need to understand to function in a literature-based language arts classroom. (RS)

Examines the who, what, where, how, and why of informal drama instruction in the classroom, arguing that, given the current emphasis on "basics" in education, such instruction can provide one of the most basic educational experiences in language arts. (HTH)

Examines the reading and writing processes and their interdependence and urges the language arts instructor to be an audience for children's writing and to help them become aware that what they read is someone else's writing. (HTH)

Describes draw-on filmmaking as an exciting way to introduce children to the plastic, fluid nature of the film medium, to develop their appreciation and understanding of divergent cinematic techniques and themes, and to invite them into the dream world of filmmaking without the need for a camera. (AEA)