Notes that teachers at every grade level have discovered that engaging children in book making has the power to motivate even the most reluctant writers. Notes that most curricula for teaching writing ignore the role of visual images in the writing process. Contends that by creating a combination of graphics and written text, children engage in a…

Reviews the limitations of large-scale testing, as indicated by the Commission on Testing and Public Policy. Suggests implications for elementary language arts teachers, administrators, and teacher educators. Concludes with predictions regarding the state of assessment in the year 2000. (MG)

Surveys 40 middle-school language-arts teachers in 3 local public school districts. Finds that (1) most teachers believed it was important for their students to master grammar; and (2) teachers spend considerable time teaching grammar. Argues that grammar deserves a prominent place in the middle school curriculum. (RS)

Argues that grammar instruction can be more effective if put in a realistic context by: (1) becoming part of an integrated curriculum; and (2) concentrating on the proofreading stage of writing assignments. Illustrates integrating various components of the language-arts curriculum by briefly describing a unit using a short story. (RS)

A computer program titled "The Bald Headed Chicken," written for the Apple IIE and Apple IIGS, is described. The program enables primary-level students, as well as limited-English-speaking students, to manipulate graphics and text to create their own stories which can then be saved on disk or printed. (Author/JDD)

This article suggests ways of teaching critical thinking skills that won't strain crowded schedules. Several curriculum-related ideas and brain teasers are listed. A number of activities are appropriate for odd moments in the school day, such as while students line up for lunch or as they come in from recess. (IAH)

The article describes the Texas "Supplement to the Essential Elements for the Hearing Impaired," an in-depth expansion of the state-mandated essential elements in English Language Arts to include supplemental goals and subgoals for students with language deficiencies caused by hearing loss. Guidelines for assessment and goal selection…

Argues that unique collaborative learning possibilities exist in classes with both regular and academically talented or gifted students. Notes that research indicates that students of all ability levels learn more and have better attitudes when they work together as a group. Presents eight suggestions for group activities in the language arts. (RS)

Describes an assessment approach designed to enable students and their parents to ask reflective questions about the student's work and to consider efficient strategies to improve that work. (MM)

Uses proverbs to facilitate the development of inferential reading skills. Provides examples of proverbs which children have finished with their own original endings. (MG)

Notes that the ability to move from the general to the specific and back again is one of the schemas that basic writers lack. Argues that this schema can be developed through carefully composed writing assignments that employ all of the arts of language--reading, writing, speaking, and listening. (RS)

Describes how to introduce a Shakespeare play by having students act out and discuss an edited, pivotal scene from the play. Suggests various scenes which are well-suited to this activity. (MM)

Examines collaborative writing and the importance of children's talk as they write. Provides several examples of children's dialogues during collaborative writing and role-playing sessions. (MM)

Focuses on reading instruction to assess the role of language arts instruction in homogeneous societies of recent decades. Uses this assessment to explore the changes that future pluralistic societies will require. Asserts that to accommodate a pluralistic society, classroom structure, communication, and organization must use language for…

A primary grade school with a large low-income Hispanic population reviewed and revised several instructional programs, particularly for language arts and mathematics, to increase student achievement and motivation. (CB)