Intended for teachers of elementary and secondary school writing, this paper describes the Regular Writing Practice (RWP) program, which combines the philosophical and pedagogical bases of Lyman Hunt's Uninterrupted Sustained Silent Reading program with the instructional methodology of creative writing and composition. The first portion of the…

Research in the fields of education, linguistics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, politics, anthropology, rhetoric, and computer science has yielded a large body of knowledge about how language is produced and used in different types of communication, how language systems affect conceptual frameworks, and how language competence contributes to…

This handbook designed for teachers of sixth through ninth grades, has two objectives: (1) to make the concept of critical thinking and the principles that underlie it clear; and (2) to show how critical thinking can be taught in language arts, social studies, and science. The introduction presents the reader with the concepts of critical thinking…

This document describes changes in language arts instruction that are designed to recognize the unique strengths and abilities of Chapter 1 and migrant education students. The document also describes a particular vision of a new language arts program for these students, a program designed to teach to their strengths and provide them with…

A series of 11 propositions about the role of language in learning emerged from the data collected and analyzed in a semester-long collaborative seminar in language arts methods for inservice and preservice teachers. A discussion of each proposition reflects the data that support it. The focus was on teaching as inquiry or research for the…

This paper describes the Teacher Assessment Project at Stanford University, which is currently examining the use of performance-based methods for assessing teachers' competence. The research outlined in this work-in-progress explores the feasibility of documenting teaching through the use of portfolios. The paper identifies three…

This publication provides teachers with a series of classroom activities that use newspapers as a learning resource and as a tool for instruction. These activities have been taken from other curricula used successfully throughout the country. They were developed with certain objectives and skills in mind, based on content area, by newspapers in…

Beginning with a brief introduction which summarizes the characteristics of whole language theory, this 28-item annotated bibliography includes books and journal articles, many of which are 1988 and 1989 publications. (RS)

In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of writing assignments in basal reading series and the extent to which teachers used the suggested writing assignments, four fifth grade teachers of reading and their classes were observed for 10 days. Although participants reported that they regularly included written composition in reading…

In the fall of 1985, the Educational Computer Consortium of Ohio (ECCO) presented an extensive series of workshops on Logo. The workshops were divided into two categories: those for teacher-trainers and those for classroom teachers. This booklet presents materials developed by a core of five participants in the workshops for trainers using Logo…

As a result of the neglect of verbal training in the public schools, students, community members, and even some teachers are using words capriciously and often incorrectly. If this trend continues, words will cease to have precise meanings, and thus cease to be conveyors of thought, expression, and philosophies. It is up to educators to reverse…

The central aspect of Connecticut's agenda for educational equity and excellence is the implementation of statewide mastery testing in mathematics and language arts. The program, designed for grades four, six, and eight, assesses the skill levels of students by measuring their performance on learning objectives they should have mastered in lower…

This guide presents a model developed to assist schools and districts in planning and implementing multicultural and nonsexist education in all subject areas from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The guide illustrates how multicultural/nonsexist curricula may be integrated into social studies, mathematics, language arts, and science, and emphasizes…

The material in this K-8 curriculum guide is designed to provide classroom professionals in rural Montana schools with some guidance as to when to introduce and develop concepts in each subject area. It is intended to be a guide, not a rule book or complete course of study. For each subject area and for each grade level, topics are coded as I…

Efficient handwriting plays an important role in strengthening virtually all other school skills. One method of teaching handwriting involves personifying the letters in order to make writing more interesting, meaningful, and fun. The first lesson shows students the correct sitting position and the proper way to hold a pen. The next lesson has the…