Articles in this journal issue focus primarily on evaluation in the language arts and oral communication. Following an introduction to the two themes, the articles discuss the following: (1) pop quizzes in literature, (2) holistic scoring, (3) self-evaluation strategies in prewriting and rewriting, (4) what not to do in student/teacher…

This curriculum guide for grades 5-8 divides language arts into ten subject areas. Each subject area is covered in a separate section; however, the focus of the guide is on providing an integrated curriculum. The following topics are included in most or all of the sections: introduction, related research, goals/objectives, enabling procedures…

A study investigated the use of a mathematical model to predict individuals' total active Hebrew vocabulary from samples of their written and spoken language. The model is based on a generalized inverse Gaussian distribution. The subjects were Israeli junior high school students from both high and low socioeconomic groups. Hebrew language samples…

A symposium of language learning specialists reviewing C.C. Fries' Oral Approach to English language instruction developed and used at the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan is summarized. The thesis of the symposium was that the basic Oral Approach concepts had and continue to have a profound and far-reaching, though largely…

The discussions of 30 participants in a seminar on the present (mid-1980s) state of research in the English language arts are included in this document. Topics of discussions were as follows: (1) interrelating the processes of reading and writing; (2) texts with different structures and different content: implications for teaching comprehension…

Designed to explore the ways language functions to help children gain access to meaning as they progress through the educational system, this journal issue views communication as a social, interactive process in which speakers and writers attempt to link into what listeners and readers know, want to know, or need to know. The 12 articles in the…

Conceived at an executive board meeting of the International Federation for the Teaching of English, this book describes the classroom practices of English teachers in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, England, and the United States. The 82 articles are divided into the following areas: (1) a history of teaching English in each country; (2) new…

A discussion of classroom techniques and activities useful in teaching English to monolingual Arab students begins with a review of cultural factors significant in the second language learning patterns of this population. These factors include historical and traditional influences, North American perceptions of Arabs, the teaching of English in…

Studies are reviewed on early identification and remediation of "at risk" preschool, 1st-, and 2nd-grade children to prevent possible future reading failure. The research review identifies essential characteristics of reading and reading acquisition, explains difficulties in learning how to read, explores variables within the individual…

A study tested the hypothesis that spoken language has a strong direct influence on the encoding process, and that speakers of nonstandard dialects have a different set of problems with the written language and make identifiably different errors than do speakers of standard dialect. The subjects, 13 standard and 13 nonstandard dialect speakers…

Project TRABAJO (an academic and job program) and the Individualized Bilingual Education for Children with Retarded Mental Development(a Chapter 720 Program) are two programs which provide supplementary and instructional support for 150 mildly and moderately mentally retarded New York City school students with limited English proficiency. The…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 27 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the vocalization of /L/ in Philadelphia; (2) a second grade program to isolate and apply knowledge of vowel sounds in word identification; (3) phoneme and…

A study of classroom communication skills and strategies initiated in an effort to enhance the experience of Chinese graduate students visiting the United States had two parts. In the first, communications in a sampling of U.S. graduate science courses were examined, resulting in information about the language of classroom conversation management.…

Noting that having fun with language engenders a love of language and an understanding of its power and vitality, and that students with this awareness of and respect for language will likely be more successful writers, this guide offers suggestions that will help teachers ease the rigors of writing for their students and create a "language…

This is the second of two related documents that make up the final report of a study that analyzed the text of 26 student-teacher dialogue journals from a sixth grade classroom. The report defines "dialogue journal writing" as interactive, functional writing that occurs between students and teacher on a daily basis about self-generated…