It is useful to stress the similarity of the linguistic system that underlies oral and written language, but the whole language approach fails to take into account the real and significant differences that exist between oral and written language and the different purposes for which they are used. Children need explicit guidance and support in making the shift from oral to written language. A classroom exercise in which students gather and discuss a topic involving their own experiences and then are asked to write about it exemplifies the problem. The implicit assumption is that oral and written language is the same and all students have to do is write down what they said. However, the children do not see any difference in purpose for the oral and written activities. There is no sense of the purpose of writing as forming a context-free and permanent record of events. In developing effective literacy programs an extra step is required. A lesson could begin with oral discussion, then provide children with information about what a successful text, written for a particular purpose, actually looks like. Only after such information would the children attempt to write texts themselves. (RS)