This analysis of data from the Partnership for Literacy Study investigates the relationship among achievement, effort, and grades. Certainly, grades reward achievement, the mastery of material by students. Research has also suggested that grades are used to reward students for exerting effort to learn material, even if students fall short of…

Physical education is a prime content area for interdisciplinary learning. The movement components of physical education can be used as a medium through which children are provided with opportunities to practice and strengthen language skills. Cone, Werner, Cone, and Woods (1998, p. 4) agree: "interdisciplinary learning is an educational process…

In every content area, standardized tests are strongly focused on reading. Today, not only are reading and writing expected to take place in the English/language arts classroom but also in math, science, and social studies. To prepare students for standardized tests in the middle grades and beyond, the U. S. Department of Education recommends…

This article integrates findings from earlier research (Roessingh & Kover, 2003; Roessingh, Kover, & Watt, 2005) linking distinct patterns of achievement for diverse age-on-arrival (AOA) cohorts of ESL learners on the grade 12 Alberta English language arts (ELA) examination to their vocabulary and reading comprehension scores on a standardized…

Math experts developed Formative Assessment Lessons that teachers can incorporate throughout the year's curriculum. Both tools target the "instructional core." A study by Research for Action (RFA) examining the first year of piloting the Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) and Math Design Collaborative (MDC) tools (2010-11) found…

The answer to the question, "What's happening to the standards project organized by the International Reading Association (IRA) and the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)?" is that the project is going forward. Though its federal sponsors rejected it in the fall and winter of 1993-94, the project is continuing under the…

A modified language arts curriculum has resulted from the contributions of linguists. Language arts teachers need to be thoroughly versed in content and methodology recommendations made by linguists. It is important for pupils to understand patterns of sentences in the English language. Pupils should also attach meaning to the concept of expanding…

The United States Department of Education recognizes and supports exemplary programs through the National Diffusion Network (NDN). Established in 1974, NDN is based on the belief that there are few problems encountered by schools that have not been solved successfully in some other location. The primary function of NDN is to disseminate…

This summary paper, the result of an ongoing collaborative process, presents an extended policy statement for English Language Arts K-12 in Saskatchewan, Canada. The paper is in five major sections: (1) Introduction; (2) Foundations and Principles (outlining the value of language--both dynamic and rule-governed--as a foundation for the English…

This paper presents a list of 154 Internet resources (listservs, freenets, telnet sites, gophers, etc.) dealing with language arts. Each entry in the list includes the name of the resource, and subscription and electronic mail addresses. Some of the entries in the list include a brief description of the resource. The paper lists 17 language arts…

The guide presents enrichment activity information for a language arts unit focusing on vocabulary for gifted and talented students in grades 5 and 6. The information is presented in terms of objectives, entry skills, teacher's approaches, student activities, and resources. Activities deal with such aspects of vocabulary development as synonyms…

20 auditory activities that train your students' ears and raise awareness. (Editor)