Addressed to teachers, educators, and other specialists in language learning, this volume sketches a pedagogical theory of discourse for a language arts curriculum (see "A Student-Centered Language Arts Curriculum, Grades K-13: A Handbook for Teachers," TE 001 468). The emphasis is upon mastering the art of communication through the everyday use of language and upon developing language skills through a sequence of activities which correlate with the student's intellectual and emotional growth. The first chapter defines "structure,""English," and the elements of discourse (speaker, listener, and subject) and explains their interrelationships. The kinds and order of discourse (e.g., interior dialogue, correspondence, public narrative) are presented in chapter two. Narrative and drama as particular kinds of basic discourse are discussed in chapters three and four, with particular emphasis being placed upon parallels between literature and daily life. In the next chapter, the importance and limitations of grammar and sentences as substructures of discourse are examined. The value to the writer of trial-and-error composition and of feedback, and the lack of value of composition textbooks are taken up in chapter six. A brief final chapter urges a reorganization of the total educational curriculum to eliminate conventional subject divisions. (LH)