In order to investigate the effects of dialect interference on learning to read and the ways teachers accommodate reading instruction for first grade black children, observations and tape recordings were made of reading instruction in fourteen predominantly black classrooms, showing episodes of potential dialect conflict and six teaching styles:…

Demonstrates briefly the naturalness of dialect variation in American English, examines the implications for reading instruction of recognizing the naturalness of dialects, and provides a list of references for the professional development of teachers of children who speak dialects other than standard English. (ET)

The primary focus of this paper is on black children and the relationship between their productive and receptive language competencies. The solutions which have been proposed to solve the dilemma of black pupils' poor reading achievement are discussed. It is noted that none of the proposed solutions has the unqualified support provided by a mass…

This study compares the oral reading performance of Black English (BE) speaking children, bilingual Mexican American (MA) children, and Standard English (SE) speaking children who were average third grade readers. Reading performance was evaluated by a system-oriented analysis of reading errors, of recall, and of reading speed. For the reading…

Of the various theories about how to treat black dialects, the approach by way of appreciating dialect differences is now in favor. (JH)

Two studies are discussed in this research report, which was presented at the 1973 American Educational Research Association meeting. The first study investigated whether black children would evaluate Black English selections more favorably than standard English selections and whether favorable evaluation would lead to greater comprehension of the…

This collection of articles discusses social dialects, the problems that dialects cause the disadvantaged, and how these problems can be overcome in curriculum planning and classroom practice. Articles are (1) "English: New Dimensions and New Demands" by Muriel Crosby, (2) "A Checklist of Significant Features for Discriminating Social Dialects" by…

This report focuses on the teaching of English to Aboriginal children in primary schools in Australia. A definition and analysis of dialectal differences between Aboriginal (Australian) English and Standard (Australian) English is offered that includes the phonological, morpho-syntactic, lexico-semantic, and pragmatic differences of the Aboriginal…

Fourth-grade students (45 black and 45 white) were assigned to one of three groups defined by degree of teacher use of nonstandard English (standard English, moderate nonstandard English, or high nonstandard English). Each group was presented a lesson involving computing areas of rectangles and right triangles. After the lesson, each group was…