Using a literature-based thematic unit to teach language arts in concert with science, social studies, mathematics, and art, a Scottish teacher instilled in her 6- and 7-year-old pupils an understanding of their own lives, a love for language, and a feeling of satisfaction and pride in their accomplishments. The teacher developed a topic based on…

These four issues of the English Leadership Quarterly represent the quarterly for 1991. Articles in number 1 deal with whole language and include: "CEL: Shorter and Better" (Myles D. Eley); "Toward a New Philosophy of Language Learning" (Kathleen Strickland); "Whole Language: Implications for Secondary Classrooms"…

It is argued that vocabulary development is too often ignored in the communicative approach to second language teaching, while a good command of language and pleasure in speaking it require access to the appropriate words. Traditionally, vocabulary development has been accomplished by two complementary techniques: reading and classroom exercises.…

In a collaborative effort in teaching literary analysis, two professors aimed to make the usually seamless act of reading visible and ideologically bound by emphasizing the constructed nature of interpretation. A course was pieced together that asked questions about literature, that assumed that both students and teachers are subjects constructed…

The study reported in this paper argues for a process model of postsecondary instruction where reader-response literary theory in general, and L. Rosenblatt's transactional theory specifically, provides a theoretical framework for strategies which use computers to teach postsecondary English. The paper begins with an examination of the historical…

Each student needs to achieve optimally in oral communication. The rural student should have ample opportunities to experience quality learning activities in communicating with others. First, pupils should have ample opportunities to practice making introductions. In society, people are introduced to each other. It is important to make the…

Interactive theater is a performance based medium which utilizes drama to present and provide a forum for the discussion of socially sensitive issues which impact youth and adults. A scene is presented to an audience up to a crisis point, at which time the audience asks cast members questions while the cast stays in character. Interactive theater…

Designed to be used before and after attending a storytelling performance by Dylan Pritchett, this cue sheet presents information about the performance and suggests activities that can be done with classmates, friends, or family members. The cue sheet discusses where and why people tell stories, what makes a story good for telling, what makes a…

This book contains practical activities for teachers, counselors, and other helping professionals utilizing elements in nature. The premise for the utilization of nature therapy is that if people develop an awareness and reverence for life, they will also develop self-understanding and self-respect. The first four chapters provide a rationale for…

The film "Stagecoach," a 1939 Western epic, was used in a 200-level small-group communication course as an instructional resource to illustrate the emergence of group norms and roles, the treatment of deviance and conflict, and the influence of external threats, interdependent goals, and shared history on the development of cohesiveness…

Within each speech communication class, the teacher can more easily realize the overriding goals of general education by expanding the horizons of the assignment using the method of forced choice. Forced choice operates within the assumptions that the spectrum of structure helps reach a more thorough set of educational goals, and giving the…

A group leadership exercise that incorporates the elements of leadership and other aspects of interaction within small groups can be useful in a basic communication course. The exercise is designed around three basic leadership styles: laissez-faire, democratic, and authoritarian. The exercise is conducted in the following way: (1) the class…

Noting that one way to break boundaries that separate one person from another is to use the writing experience to identify and analyze values, this paper presents guidelines for defining values, discussing values, and teaching about values. Teaching and discussion aids are provided to enhance the examination of narratives and biographies, which…

Designed to be planned jointly by teachers and school library media specialists, the 60 units of study described in this book suggest ideas for sharing literature that may be used in developing a scope and sequence of literature experiences for children in grades K-5. For primary grades K-2, the activities are primarily arranged through sharing…

This paper presents a strategy for teaching non-verbal communication skills to students in high school or college. The strategy uses the movie "Date with an Angel" to teach the non-verbal skills. According to the paper, the activity can be used at the beginning of a unit or course to get the students interested in important…