"Grandfather Moose" rhymes, written to follow the Mother Goose tradition, are short, appealing, easy-to-memorize sign language nursery rhymes which employ visual poetic devices such as similar signs and transitional flow of movement. (CB)

The collection of 15 teaching ideas from teachers of limited English proficient students focus on language skills and include such suggestions as having older students prepare a slide show to illustrate irregular English verbs for younger students and interviewing parents about their traditions. (DB)

A collection of plays, stories, and rhymes are offered in this article to help celebrate Halloween. (DF)

Discusses the literacy of teacher Ruth Madden and its relation to her unique approach to language arts teaching in the primary grades. (HTH)

Illustrates the existence of meanings in conversation that are not based on the listener's interpretations by analyzing the conversations from a family therapy session. Transcripts of the conversations are appended. (HTH)

The article reviews the mechanics of learning to read and describes three computer programs to teach reading skills and three to build language skills in gifted students. Each of the programs is given an overall rating as well as rating for ease of use, visual appeal, reliability, educational value, documentation, error handling, and value for…

Describes four techniques that attempt to develop language arts ability within the context of interesting interactions with pieces of good literature. (EL)

Reviews two spelling packages ("Spelldiver" and "Attack of the Spelling Bees") and a reading program ("The Word Bird"), which teaches spatial relationships while encouraging the young reader to read carefully. Includes suggested age(s), hardware needed, current price, manufacturer, distributor, and in-depth evaluation…

An integrated language arts/American history program developed for gifted adolescents, Jazz to Jacuzzi is based on B. Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive learning. It incorporates a multi-technique, multi-media approach to art, literature, music, and other artifacts of the era from 1920-1970. (CL)

Discusses (in question/answer format) criteria to use when evaluating language arts software. Also reviews four programs illustrating principles/ideas considered in these criteria. Programs include: "Story Maker" (grades 3 and above); "Suspect Sentences" (Grades 7-12); "M-ss-ng L-nks" (grades 2 and above); and…

Offers practical activities that make spelling drill more interesting and more applicable to vocabulary development. (FL)

Explores children's interaction during talking, telling, and storymaking stages as they prepare a narrative. Discusses a method of stimulating children to create stories by encouraging them to talk about a book that has been read aloud to them. (HTH)

Encourages teachers to evaluate the appropriateness of language activities in the light of the language competencies children possess. (DD)

Discusses some of the negative effects classifying and labeling has on children entering the elementary grades. (DD)

Teachers must try to listen to children a great deal more and question them a great deal less. (Author)