Describes the process of play as a basis for language arts learning by gifted children. (DD)

Examines professional concerns related to improving children's knowledge of language, determining what knowledge children bring to a learning environment, and promoting children's joy of learning. (RL)

Examines the state of the art of research on how spelling should be taught in the schools, the nature of spelling ability, and implications for teaching and further research. (HTH)

Discusses the influence television has on children's language development and lists television resources that illustrate children's literature, vocabulary and reading skills, mathematics, and study skills. (HTH)

The current state of research on language learning processes is reviewed, and the implications of that research for language arts teachers are discussed. (HTH)

Discusses recent research highlighting both the child's growth as a reflective language user and the school's capacity to enhance or hamper that growth. The research is concerned with the need for children eventually to use language in decontextualized ways, without the supporting context of visible or manipulable objects or actions. (HTH)

The conventions inherent to language are explored, and demonstrations, engagement, and sensitivity are discussed as factors present in all learning situations in which a person learns to master these complex conventions. (HTH)

Provides information from the ERIC system on creative dramatics activities, outlines their advantages for handicapped children, and suggests techniques for using creative dramatics with mentally, physically, and emotionally handicapped children. (DD)

Reviews research and theory to illustrate the issues that face language arts educators as they deal with gender issues in the classroom. Suggests that educators have often failed truly to face the complexity of such issues as legitimate and worthy of attention in the classroom. (RS)

Presents the characteristics of the more popular spelling theories, describes how the optimal spelling system would work, reviews recent research on spelling, and draws implications for the teaching of spelling. (DD)

Reviews several syntactic studies of children's reading comprehension and suggests teaching methods for promoting sentence comprehension in context. (DD)

Examines the last five years of articles in this journal to show what topics were most often written about (the "Top Picks" or "TopPics"). Discusses these results and makes recommendations that deserve considerable attention in the future. Notes that integrated language arts was a perennial TopPic. (SR)

Discusses the rich potential of Logo (a computer programing system for children) and particularly LogoWriter (its word processor) as learning tools in the language arts. Cautions against their use as rote exercises. (SR)

Suggests that children learning English as a second language will profit more from interaction in meaningful situations with native speakers of English than from separate language instruction with other nonnative learners. (DD)

Discusses computers and related technologies as a significant means for acquiring language arts skills. Samples a wide array of uses for educational computing in English and language arts classes. (SR)