Discusses the move from whole language to phonics instruction in Los Angeles schools in an effort to rescue plummeting reading scores. (Author/VWL)

At times, the whole-language approach to language teaching has been misunderstood. It is a philosophy more than a method or an instructional trend and is more than its separate elements: thematic, authentic, integrated, interactive. Many teachers who embrace the philosophy underlying the approach see their teaching not as promoting whole-language…

Following a summary of research pertaining to the Montessori and Whole Language philosophies, this paper examines similarities between the two philosophies. Both philosophies are based on holistic learning, use cross-cultural materials, and stress the teacher's role as a facilitator within the classroom environment. The relationships of the…

Discusses the merits of the whole language approach in the context of teaching Canadian Native children to read and write in English. Ways of adapting and supplementing the whole language approach for their specific needs are suggested. (six references) (Author/LB)

A large urban California elementary school provides approximately 900 limited-English-proficient students with 3 bilingual programs: full and modified bilingual programs offering varying amounts of content instruction in the native language or sheltered English, and the "English language development" program which uses sheltered English…

Describes the atmosphere and activities in a primary classroom in New Zealand that affect the literacy development of limited English-proficient children. Key factors are identified, including teacher expectations of success, whole language environment, and nurturing classroom climate. (two references) (Author/LB)

A study of bilingual third-graders beginning formal English literacy in a whole-language classroom found that students improved in reading abilities and comprehension, as assessed through miscue and retelling analysis; writing results were mixed; and holistic assessment of overall writing abilities did not show improvement. Students' uneven…

Discusses the development and implementation of an instructional unit that applies selected whole language strategies to teach reading and writing in the beginning stages of literacy in French. The unit shows how an authentic folktale can be used for integrating topics from the elementary curriculum to form a second-language curriculum for an…

This paper explains the development of an integrated foreign language curriculum for elementary school classrooms and provides sample lesson plans using the story "Color, Where Are You?" In order to increase the consistency as well as the scope of the curriculum, the classroom teacher and the foreign language specialist should integrate the…

Seven false but common assumptions about bilingual learners are examined, and whole language principles offering alternatives to those assumptions are presented. The seven assumptions include the following: (1) learning proceeds from part to whole; (2) classes should be teacher-centered; (3) lessons should serve students' future needs; (4)…

Based on the idea that questioning designed to elicit and practice different language structures can promote language development, 10 questioning techniques are presented. They are designed to be used in the context of the whole language approach to instruction, to promote both language and thinking skills. The techniques are to be used as parents…

A number of model lesson plans that use children's literature to teach content area material are presented. The lessons are designed for instruction in either Spanish or English as a Second Language at the elementary school level; some are in English, and some are in Spanish. Each plan identifies the title and basic bibliographic information about…

Four issues of the newsletter of the Elementary Education Interest Section (EEIS) of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) are presented in this document. Issue number 1 of volume 15, focussed on defining "who we are," describes the nature and purposes of EEIS and contains brief accounts by parents, students, and…

Thematic units, the basis of organization for this guide, work in many ways toward the dual goals of language and content area instruction. The thematic units presented here address topics of high interest to limited English-proficient (LEP) students, including: robots; using a computer data base; activities with plants; building terrariums;…

This paper describes an approach to using science activities as a means to teach English in the English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classroom. It is based on the author's work in Preparing Refugees for Elementary Programs (PREP) at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center. Refugee children from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, ages 6 to 12, attend…