When used diagnostically at the readiness level, language-experience becomes an effective way to meet individual differences and to differentiate instruction in a group setting. For a 5- or 6-year old, school should be an exciting, happy, purposeful place, and language-experience lends itself well to such a setting. The first steps are to understand a child's strengths and needs and to plan appropriate strategies and activities that meet those needs. Language and verbal comprehension as well as experiential and cognitive growth are built into the language-experience to establish readiness for reading. Many first hand experiences--such as squeezing orange juice, popping popcorn, enjoying a visiting rabbit or other animal, participating in creative art activities, participating in simple construction activities and science projects or short field trips--play a role in developing language and experiential growth. Experiences are then reinforced with appropriate follow-up activities--such as listening to quality trade books; learning songs, poems, or finger plays; or responding to music through motion. Language-experience deals with a wide range of differences in the classroom and provides each child with the level of material best suited to his or her abilities and interests. Such an approach provides a nice balance of readiness activities. (HOD)