This handbook for pre-kindergarten through grade 2, one of a series of five language arts guides being developed (see also TE 000 798), specifies materials in listening, speaking, writing, reading, and literature. The program is aimed at urban children and attempts to provide for student differences by suggesting ways to adapt instruction and materials. The course of study for each grade is divided into three areas--getting ideas through listening, observing, and reading; expressing ideas through speaking and writing; and learning about language. Activities for the teacher and the students are presented in specific teaching plans, and the skills that the student is expected to master are listed for each level. In addition, a special program for teaching English as a second language is described, including language aims, linguistic patterns used, and suggested approaches to teaching. An appendix provides background material on poetry and prose, as well as lists of recommended children's books and poems, audiovisual aids, and selected teacher references. (LH)