During the 1979-1980 school year, 23 Old Order Amish pupils in the Pleasant Hill School near Bloomfield, Iowa, took the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. On the language arts subtest, five of six third grade students ranked above 50% in capitalization, four ranked above 50% in spelling and punctuation, and three ranked above 50% in usage. Four third…

Old Order Amish are readily distinguishable from others in society by their dissociation from "modern" convenience and dress. Students in an Old Order Amish school in Iowa receive instruction in language arts from a secular basal language arts workbook, and a basal reader containing biblical stories. Comprehension of content is evaluated…

Ranging across the language arts spectrum in the elementary school curriculum, this compilation of 36 essays is divided into eight main sections: (1) issues, theory, and philosophy of a language arts curriculum; (2) reading (includes "Developing the Reading Curriculum,""Determining Reading Levels," and "Reading: Basics versus Problem Solving)";…

Discussing various aspects of the language arts curriculum, this guide contains the following essays: (1) "Listening and the Child in the Language Arts Curriculum," which details a philosophy for teaching and learning in the language arts; (2) "Creative Writing in the Curriculum," which outlines ways teachers can help students achieve creatively;…