Ways in which to use "picture talk" (proverbs, similes, idioms, and witcracks) in language arts activities for elementary school students are described, including: writing and illustrating expressions; changing expressions; and interpreting expressions. (CB)

As parents adapt to meet today's changing definition of literacy, they are often left with many questions about what is happening in their child's classroom. To help address parents' concerns, this guide uses clear, everyday language and classroom examples to explain and illustrate some of the key concepts and terms in literacy acquisition and…

A teacher describes how a classroom diary, part of a daily classroom routine, was created through class members sharing their experiences with each other. The diary also served as a teaching tool in such areas as language arts and handwriting. (CB)

Advocating the whole language philosophy as an approach which makes language learning easy and fun for hearing-impaired children, activities involving reading favorite books, shared reading, and rewriting stories wherein new words and sentence structures are introduced in the context of the whole story or poem. (CB)

The blockbuilding, painting, and oral expressions of young children provide evidence of a natural tendency to symbolize experience and to use the symbolic elements of expressiveness, creativeness, and living form. Up to the present time, educators have not fully grasped the fact that the need to symbolize is at the base of all education. They…

This article discusses strategies for differentiating the curriculum for gifted students by using a creative approach to language teaching. It provides suggestions for co-operative and creative classroom language activities, including making a syllable pie, starting a dictionary of sub-cult words, cryptic crosswords, poetry, and tracing language…

Provides five fully developed library media activities designed to be used in connection with specific curriculum units in art, health, reading/language arts, and social studies. Library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, resources, instructional roles, activity and procedures for completion, evaluation, and followup are described for…

This guide for parents indicates ways in which they can help their childen succeed in school. Sections focusing on language arts and mathematics list skills that students are required to master in kindergarten through fifth grades and suggest language arts activities for parents to implement at home. (RH)

A potpourri of activities from teachers working with elementary and middle school-aged children is featured in this journal issue. Regular features include an introductory letter, an article on elementary school activities, project updates, reviews, and announcements. The articles are as follows: (1) "Yesterday is local history to fourth…

This book's purpose is to assist school library media specialists in incorporating specific learning objectives into a storytime format, thus extending the storytime experience into standards-based reading and writing lessons. The book is intended for veteran and beginning school library media specialists and teachers who collaborate with them.…

Designed for use at school or at home, this book focuses on the development of seven types of literacy: linguistic, visual, mathematical, scientific, geographic, economic, and computer. The book's suggested activities are each introduced with a detailed discussion of the necessary prerequisite skills, the concepts to be mastered, the materials…

This book is a comprehensive and practical guide to the use of computers across a wide age range. Extensive use is made of photographs, illustrations, cartoons, and samples of children's work to demonstrate the versatility of computer use in schools. An introduction by Rob Crompton placing computer use within the educational context of the United…

Learning activities parents can do with their children are described. Descriptions of activities are organized according to three age ranges: kindergarten through 3rd grade, 4th through 6th grade, and 7th through 12th grade. Initial discussion concerns pointers for parents of kindergartners; 41 things schools expect children to do before they…

Based on the philosophy that a high school graduate is a young person who has become a fluent communicator and reflective thinker whose knowledge and skills meet the high standards necessary to interact in a rapidly changing world, this language arts curriculum is designed to foster the development of literacy abilities by providing experiences in…

A dozen TV-related activities are suggested for parents for use with their children during summer vacation, to reinforce skills in reading, writing, listening, planning, and following directions. (Author/SJL)