This study attempted to describe current trends in the teaching of English to college freshmen and to use that description to formulate a series of suggestions for improvement. Findings from 160 responses to a questionnaire sent to college and university English departments indicated that a wide degree of variation existed between freshman English…

A 21-day unit on the history and development of the English language, as taught to a twelfth grade class, is provided as a teaching guide. Each of the class sessions is described as to objective, materials, procedure, and evaluation. A schedule for each of the four weeks of the unit, three contract choices for the student to choose among and thus…

Suggests that children, even in early elementary grades, can grasp basic elements of children's literature using a spiralled sequence story curriculum, which helps them examine types of character, such as the trickster; elements of plot, such as the journey; and generally see patterns in the stories they read. (JC)

This book is designed to help teachers, teacher-librarians, administrators, and district staff create a literature program that integrates literature within the context of resource-based learning. The book is organized into three sections. Part 1: "Critical Components of Learning through Literature" discusses in detail how each of the…

Teaching at Essex Community College in Maryland has offered several English instructors endless possibilities for program development. Two such public programs developed by one instructor are "The Why of Sports" and the Creative Writing Forum. The former involved six programs and an art exhibit showing the connections between sports and…

Most educational computer software currently available severely restricts the kinds of interaction that can take place between the student and the computer. In fact, an examination of 317 language arts programs listed in a directory of educational software shows that 60% of the programs were of the drill and practice type. In response to this…

Ways of implementing a classroom-based staff development Writing Project, based on a model developed at the Teachers College, Columbia University (New York), are described in this guide. The first section deals with beginning the project in a school and covers what the Writing Project is, where it is located, what staff development entails, who…

Reports on teacher education calling for reform of undergraduate courses and curricula in arts and sciences, while eliminating the undergraduate degree in education do not adequately reflect the realities of the classroom. The Carnegie and the Holmes reports, among others, claim that prematurely specializing undergraduate education students causes…

In the past 5 years, the University of Hawaii (UH) English Department has undergone significant changes in curriculum, staff, and students. Freshman English was formerly taught by lecturers, but is now the shared responsibility of all professors on the English faculty. The maximum class enrollment has been decreased from 25 students to 20.…

Acknowledging that reasoning ability has been identified by the College Board as one of the six basic academic competencies, this guide is intended to help secondary school language arts teachers integrate critical thinking skills into their curriculum. The guide is divided into the following sections: (1) test-taking skills (summary of college…

One of a series dealing with current issues affecting language arts instruction, this paper focuses on thinking skills. The paper begins by raising two issues: whether thinking skills should be taught as part of each subject area, as a separate skill, or both, and whether English and language arts teachers have a special role in the teaching of…

Eleven essays concerning the teaching of the language arts, ranging in length from 3 to 16 pages, are collected in this document. "Oral Communication and the Learner" considers students' needs as learners and effective methods for teaching oral communication. "The Teacher and the Psychology of Learning" draws on behaviorism, humanism, and the…

The fourth of seven related guides, this curriculum guide for tenth grade English outlines opportunities for students to use the skills they have acquired previously, to be involved in well-planned educational experiences in critical thinking and in oral and written expression, and to develop an understanding of others. The first half of the guide…

The fifth of seven related guides, this curriculum guide for eleventh grade English outlines opportunities for students to use the skills they have acquired previously, to be involved in well-planned educational experiences in critical thinking and in oral and written expression, and to develop an understanding of others. The first half of the…

The sixth of seven related guides, this curriculum guide for twelfth grade English, Level I outlines opportunities for students to use the skills they have acquired previously, to be involved in well-planned educational experiences in critical thinking and in oral and written expression, and to develop an understanding of others. The first half of…