Examined the relations between school-relevant activities of preschoolers and teachers' subsequent perception of the children's competence once they had entered school. Found that middle-class preschoolers engaged in more school-relevant activities than working-class preschoolers. Elementary students who had initiated and engaged in more conversations as preschoolers were perceived by their elementary school teachers as being more competent than students who initiated and engaged in fewer conversations as preschoolers. (Author/KB)