This curriculum guide presents the English Language Arts curriculum for grades 9-12. The guide is based on an interim guide issued in 1983, and incorporates the suggestions of those teachers who field tested the interim guide. The first section, an overview, discusses rationale, goals for the teacher, objectives for the student, program framework,…

The language arts are often neglected by environmental educators because they seem to evade integration with environmental concepts. However, they are among the most adaptable of the disciplines, and it is essential that the skills they teach (abstraction, imagination, and communication) be brought to bear on the environment. Only through study…

Vocabulary development, operationally defined as the isomorphism between an individual's store of concepts and the labels society uses to represent those concepts, is akin to concept development. Therefore, vocabulary development can be facilitated if presented in clusters of related concepts. One approach used to reinforce such basic concept…

Teachers who wish to invite authors into the classroom, should consider a number of things. First, they should choose the right author. Children generally want to meet authors who write at their own levels of reading interests. If in doubt, teachers might call a publisher and ask the publicity director to make some recommendations based on the…

The California Achievement Test was administered to the students of the Mesa Public Schools in April, 1981, and again in April, 1982. This state-mandated test is administered to all students in grades 1 through 12. Although this report is directed toward the performance of Mesa students at the elementary level, a general overview of the…

Intended for use with both elementary and secondary school students, the activity pages and information in this booklet are designed to make the collegiate dictionary entry less confusing and more usable. The activities in the booklet help students (1) locate entry words by using guide words and alphabetizing; (2) read dictionary pronunciation…

Intended for teachers, this monograph encourages educators to think critically both about critical reading and about what constitutes instruction of critical thinking in schools. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Crisis in Confidence: The Need for Learner-Centered Schools"; (2) "A Mechanistic World View: Knowledge as…

Traditional teaching of English language arts is based on a receptive-accrual view of learning, which places the learner in a passive rather than an active role in the teaching-learning process. This approach conveys to the learner the view that the subject matter is fragmented and that teachers prepare discrete, disconnected lessons. L.M.…

This digest describes the development of cultural journalism and its place in the contemporary curriculum. In the field of cultural journalism, the traditional skills and values of many different groups are chronicled, defined, for example, by ethnic origin, origin, occupation, or environment. The term "cultural journalism" was first…

Compiled from the three-week English Coalition conference of 60 leaders in the English teaching profession, this report examines the way English and the language arts are taught at all levels of education today, and the problems in society and education that interfere with learning. Conferees represented the National Council of Teachers of English…

This study investigated the effect of the integration of media projects into an existing language arts curriculum on the year-end achievement of fifth and sixth grade students at the University of Wyoming laboratory school. During their communication arts block of language arts, reading, and literature, each student completed a minimum of four…

The double-entry journal requires students to write affective response statements to readings, and to compare such entries with classmates. After discussions with peers and critical analysis of the literature, students write a second journal entry synthesizing insights gained from discussion, analysis, readings, and writings. The journal (1)…

This guide provides a list of learner outcomes for students in grades 2 through 10 that are important for subsequent learning in the associated subject area. Competencies and skills are indicated for the following subject areas: (1) language arts, reading, and English; (2) mathematics; (3) science; and (4) social studies and civics. Each section…

These action oriented activity cards dealing with conflict situations are for use with secondary students. The cards are intended to supplement any course dealing with conflict, including U.S. history, sociology, English, literature, economics, area studies, or political science. The cards are organized by color into certain broad categories which…

The role of spontaneous story writing in the education of normal and emotionally troubled students is examined. A review of the theoretical and research base touches on the value of fantasy production in language development, self exploration, and problem solving. Classroom application is examined in terms of the need for a facilitative…