Implementation of the English Language Arts (ELA) Common Core State Standards (CCSS) reduces the traditional separation between the study of different subjects. Increased focus on nonfiction reading and writing means more incorporation of other content, such as music, into language arts classes. CCSS's emphasis on speaking and writing across…

Help students meet today's literacy demands with this new book from Terry Roberts and Laura Billings. The authors show how a seminar approach can lead students deeper into a text and improve their speaking, listening, and writing skills, as recommended by the Common Core State Standards. Roberts and Billings provide easy-to-follow information on…

Graduate capabilities are an essential aspect of undergraduate development in higher education. Accordingly, La Trobe University's "Design for learning" has identified particular university-wide graduate capabilities and required all faculties to explicitly embed these in their curricula. The Faculty of Law and Management developed an approach to…

Music improves spatial reasoning, which is vital to strengthening the mental circuits used for mathematics. Dance develops critical thinking skills along with persistence and perseverance. Drama becomes a partner in the development of abstract thought and speaking skills. And the larger process of creating musical theater encourages cooperation,…

Talk is the foundation for thought and understanding and the key to literacy learning. Research demonstrates that powerful metacognitive strategies can be taught to help students self-monitor their comprehension when reading print and digital texts. This article provides a repertoire of speaking and listening strategies to develop the…

"Fast Track" is a pseudonym for an accelerated, advanced language arts program for verbally gifted and high potential students in grades 6-8. The critical thinking model used for "Fast Track" was gleaned from Coalition of Essential Schools founder Ted Sizer's Habits of Mind: significance, evidence, connections, perspective, and supposition, as…

Explains that the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is a rigorous, college-prep program where students select courses from six disciplines revolving around a core course called Theory of Knowledge. Notes that IB exams are knowledge-based tests that evaluate students on what they have actually studied. Contends that the IB program addresses…

Describes an oral curriculum constructed to help students develop a personal understanding of literature in a demanding academic program. Notes that an integral part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program is centered on the need for students to create both oral and written commentaries as part of their assessment. Concludes that this oral…

This article discusses the benefits of using stories in language teaching and ideas of how to use stories in the classroom. The authors believe that stories can help solve the problems caused by limited resources and are good ways to teach culture. They describe types of stories and how they can be used in teaching speaking, listening, reading,…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: Prior to the persuasion unit, students have spent several weeks in class utilizing library research techniques, public speaking skills, and their writing processes. The unit has been devised to give students practical experience using critical thinking and decision-making skills, persuasive…

A study was conducted to test a method of instruction designed to incorporate communication and reasoning skills into the regular content of liberal arts courses. Eleven instructors teaching in nine liberal arts disciplines were trained in the areas of reading and study skills, writing, speaking and listening, and reasoning. Instructors were…

An interdisciplinary program for freshmen at Pace University (New York) focused on development of critical thinking, nonverbal communication, writing, and speaking skills. Two sections of an English course, two of a public speaking course, and one of philosophy adopted common texts, common themes, and cross-disciplinary reinforcement of skills.…

A partnership between Glendale Community College, Rio Salado Community College, and Digital Equipment Corporation provides literacy instruction to employees at Digital's Phoenix plant; from their experience are derived recommendations for those considering similar arrangements. The partnership's definition of literacy included critical thinking,…

To translate the recent research in writing and oral communication into useful suggestions for classroom practice, to focus on ways teachers can help their students grow as writers and speakers, and to stress activities that do not isolate the language arts into units and sever skills from content learning, the articles in this book were prepared…