Designed to tap the rich collection of instructional techniques in the ERIC database, this compilation of lesson plans focuses on helping elementary-school students to work together as they learn to read, write, and communicate. The 48 lesson plans in the book cover writing to communicate, reading for information, responding to literature, listening to understand, speaking to communicate, and cognitive processes in the language arts. The book includes an activities chart which indicates the focus and types of activities (such as listening, reading, writing, speaking, responding to literature, and content language arts) found in the various lessons. These teaching ideas were first tried and tested in the classroom and then reported in the ERIC database. Each chapter contains the following sections: source (reference to the original in the ERIC database), brief description, objective, procedures, and personal observation. Directions to students are marked with a bullet. A 25-item annotated bibliography contains references to research and additional resources. (RS)