The purpose of this study was to determine (1) whether disadvantaged children using the Peabody Language Development Kit (PLDK) language lessons for 7 months performed significantly better on tests of intelligence, reading, listening, and writing than did similar children not experiencing these lessons, and (2) whether the performance of boys…

Presented in this publication are the findings from a selected group of 52 studies conducted by graduate students at the University of Kansas. Undertaken as research for masters' and doctoral degrees, these studies are limited to problems occupying public school teachers of grades 7-13. Specific areas of the research are grammar and usage (6…

Following a brief attempt to find a synonym for oral communication (i.e., speaking and listening) the research on listening is referred to in an effort to stress the need for more instruction in listening and reading skills. It is pointed out the listening is an indispensable tool in the teaching of reading and provides the foundation on which all…

English courses which involve the language arts skills and which should be incorporated into major career areas are described in this guide. The guide also describes the units, procedures, activities, supplementary materials, and evaluation tools and is keyed--by number--to the State Accreditation Standards and assessment objectives. Teaching…

The study of language variation has brought linguists closer to some of the problems which concern our schools, namely, the teaching of reading, writing, and speaking. Through variability studies, answers can be found to questions about how to delimit styles, how to effect acceptability in school writing and talking, how to appreciate the dynamics…

This newsletter describes the Hawaii Language Skills Program, a total instructional system that provides teacher materials, pupil materials, instructional approaches, and ways of assessing children's progress in language skills, literature, and language systems. Key approaches used include self-direction and peer tutoring. The children are trained…

This book attempts to give a new dimension to James Moffett's philosophy on using drama combined with the small group process as the primary basis for the teaching of language arts. The main goal of the book, therefore, is to provide the teacher with practical, proven ideas and techniques for individualizing the language arts. The first section,…

This monograph reviews research into the desirability and possibility of applying the readiness concept to all stages of growth in reading and at all levels of maturation in the elementary school. Chapters include "Readiness for Reading," which analyzes physiological, intellectual, emotional, social, and experiential factors involved in…

This bulletin presents news and opinions of the staff of Project Brave of the St. John Valley in northern Maine. This issue contains a report of the National Council of Teachers of English convention, news of the Caribou Bilingual Project, a discussion of choral speaking as part of the language arts program, a list of some differences between…

The monograph is a complete outline for a program designed to help English departments institute logical and fair procedures for grading student essays. The contents in this monograph include "Factors in Judgments of Writing Ability,""The Effect of Bias,""Measuring Improvement in Writing,""Personal vs Staff Grading,""Standard Scores for Test…

J.E.B. Stuart High School moved into the minicourse elective program five years ago from an anthology-survey oriented English curriculum. The students are grouped into two levels, one offering minicourses for eleventh and twelfth graders and the other offering minicourses for ninth and tenth grade students, with some courses open to all of the…

Surveying the current scene in the teaching of composition at the elementary level, this leaflet examines the results of recent research, the materials produced by four curriculum centers, and the opinions of respected authorities in English. It then describes some of the newer teaching practices stimulated by the recent emphasis on the individual…

Designed to measure ability to choose rules of Standard English and Black English as they are appropriate to a situational context, the test consists of twenty items. It is an untimed group test, with reading assistance available if necessary from the examiner. Thirteen of the items present a situational context, requiring the subject to choose…

Designed to assess the quality of pieces of creative writing in the intermediate and junior high grades, the Sager Writing Scale (SWS) is intended for use by both students and teachers or by researchers. The SWS contains four scales with four ratings possible in the areas of vocabulary, elaboration, organization, and structure. Validity for the…

Designed to assess high school teachers' attitudes about teaching poetry, this questionnaire asked teachers to respond to a 38-item poetry methods rating scale (PMRS) on a seven-point scale (from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree"). The items for the questionnaire were derived from a study of popular methods texts for…