A well-designed physical education program can offer opportunities for students to practice and improve language arts skills. This article presents approaches for collaborating with other teachers; ongoing strategies for use in the physical education classroom; integrated activities that incorporate language arts and physical education; and…

Uses recent evaluations of English/Language Arts standards to make three points: (1) these evaluations (by organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers, the Fordham Foundation, the Council for Basic Education, and Achieve) are not nonpartisan; (2) such activities are unlikely to move forward the quest for standards-based reform; and…

Describes the use of primary source letters to teach middle school students language arts skills as well as historical research. Discusses handling old documents; how old letters can be discovered; transcribing letters; learning about human nature; and comparing aspects of life in the past with present life. (LRW)

Describes how one instructor used science education methodology in a language arts methods course. The purpose was to understand how preservice teachers might improve their science teaching through language arts methods. Discusses one preservice teacher and her use of the methodology in the science methods course in which she was currently…

Maintains that viewing should be incorporated as an integral element in whole language curricula. Suggests a number of activities for the secondary school language arts classroom, pertaining to specific tenets of the whole language approach. (TB)

Outlines the overall framework of the Michigan English Arts Framework project. Describes the mechanisms and strategies that are being used to build the project with participation at all levels. Discusses the tradition of curriculum separation, the role of whole language, and integration and standards. (SR)

Argues that the rigidity of the five paragraph theme actually dissuades students from practicing the rhetorical analysis necessary for them to become critical thinkers. Suggests that English teachers continue to teach the essay as a rhetorical form with three units, an introduction, a body, and a conclusion, which may consist of more than one…

Learning language arts skills in connection with all other subjects helps to prepare students for the real world of work and higher education. Collaborative efforts of academic and technical instructors can result in meaningful improvements in students' communication skills. (JOW)

Advocates the use of single-subject experimental design as a method of evaluation in a language arts component of a developmental education program. Measures student outcomes of literacy growth as a part of instruction. The rate and degree of growth varied between individuals, indicating which students benefited most from specific instructional…

Offers brief descriptions of 41 good books for children offering a treasury of memory, memoir, and stories. Presents books in the following categories: storytellers, folktales, voices, family, artifacts, and preservation. (SR)

Considers how, when children enter school speaking a social class dialect, it can pose problems for both the students and the teachers. Notes strategies that teachers might use to assist the Black dialect speaker to adopt a more "prestigious dialect." Suggests teachers provide opportunities to listen to folktales or riddles written in dialect and…

This article argues that direct instruction of grammar and vocabulary must be restored to their necessary place in language arts programs for gifted children, who need educated vocabularies and grammar competence of exceptional quality. It discusses strategies for instructing vocabulary and the benefits of learning grammar. (Contains references.)…

Presents conversations between the authors (public school teachers and participants in a graduate level teacher action research course) and six people in language education who have greatly affected the teachers' work (Dixie Goswami, Tom Newkirk, Donald Graves, Nancie Atwell, Linda Rief, and Tom Romano) regarding issues these leading educators…

Offers some ground rules for using collaborative learning effectively in the secondary English class. Describes three assignments involving collaborative effort that the author has used successfully in her teaching. (SR)

Focuses on one elementary school teacher during the Language Arts lessons of her student teaching, and focuses on a single conflict she had with the values of the school. Suggests alternative approaches emphasizing the importance of creating settings that support teachers who wish to teach in ways that their school structures discourage. (SC)