The local problem is that literacy in the target school district continues to rank below the state average and the fidelity of implementation (FOI) of balanced literacy (BL) has not been addressed since BL was initiated in 2014 to address student literacy achievement. Teachers reported limited professional development (PD) and lack of motivation…

The absence of social studies curriculum is a problem because it undermines the essential purposes of schooling: to prepare participatory, contributing members of a democratic society. In this article, we argue that integrating the literacy and social studies curricula is one meaningful way to support such civic-minded social studies instruction…

Examines several factors limiting the implementation of the whole language approach, including mystification of the concept, lack of parent involvement, and overzealous implementation. Discusses ways to avoid these problems. (MM)

The implementation of the Houghton-Mifflin K-5 "Invitations to Literacy" language arts program was studied during its first year in California's Moreno Valley Unified School District. A sample teacher survey was developed, pilot tested, and sent to the District. The sample consisted of 658 regular, 20 special day, 19 resource specialist, and 118…

This design for the second year of a study of elementary school reading instruction conducted by the Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools' Department of Educational Accountability is based on knowledge gained from the first year of the study which examined not only reading comprehension instruction in the elementary school, but also school…

Describes a program to develop students' oral language skills, a critical component of language arts in the preschool through sixth-grade curriculum. States that, for each level, a master list was comprised to help teachers discuss the creation of a continuum of oral language objectives. Finds the program made teachers, parents, and students…

Discusses 13 books for teachers that describe the what, how, and why of literature-based instruction in a variety of classrooms across the country. (SR)

Describes different methods of giving parents information about changes that take place when a school system implements the whole language approach. Observes that the natural mistrust and uncertainty associated with change can be eliminated when students have positive attitudes toward their learning experiences. (MM)

The purpose of this two section, five-part monograph is to help teachers plan and organize instruction so that objectives of language learning may be met as part of technology activities. Its intended audiences are elementary teachers, elementary language arts consultants, technology teachers who work in a team with elementary teachers, and…

Describes the objectives and background of a project designed to implement change in a school district's written communication program and analyzes the data obtained from writing evaluation forms. (HOD)

To gain appreciation for each others' perspectives, a Mississippi language arts consultant and a third-grade teacher from Iowa traded jobs for a year. As a consultant, the teacher found that classroom teachers were more interested in whole-language instruction practicalities than in theory. As a teacher, the consultant learned that classroom…

Presenting an in-depth look at alternatives to ability grouping in elementary school reading and language arts programs, this book presents eight essays that offer a variety of practical suggestions and resources for educators interested in moving to or enhancing their use of flexible grouping for reading instruction. The book describes programs…

Compares the California Framework for History-Social Science Education with the California Framework for English-Language Arts. Depicts the two frameworks and shows how teachers can implement both through interdisciplinary applications. Suggests how the two subject areas can be integrated. (LS)

This report provides an overview of the issues related to a recently completed study of the use of computers in primary classrooms in six school districts and some special program classes, i.e., K-2 English-as-a-Second-Language and bilingual classes at one study site and Chapter 1 pullout classes for grades K-5 at another site. The sites used were…

This paper discusses the change process experienced by teachers participating in a study of a computer-based language arts instructional program for the early elementary grades--the Apple Learning Series: Early Language (ALS-EL). The study explored ways in which the teachers were implementing ALS-EL in their classrooms before attempting to…