Intended to involve students in language and communication study in such a way that significant thinking occurs, this collection of teaching ideas outlines ways to teach literature and composition that engage the students in such thinking processes as inferring, sequencing, predicting, classifying, problem solving, and synthesizing. The activities…

Intended as a guide for educators interested in developing oral communication programs, this booklet contains activities and assessment instruments for use at all grade levels from prekindergarten through senior high school. The first section presents activities designed to develop oral communication skills and check lists to assess those skills.…

The four papers in this collection were drawn from a symposium convened to review the state of the art in speaking and listening assessment at all educational levels and to suggest strategies for addressing the technical issues, particularly those relating to test bias and the use of rating scales, that speaking and listening assessors often face.…

The dynamics of verse can be tapped to serve individual readers at the elementary and secondary levels. Choral speaking, or any group speaking together, can eliminate the fear of failure for the lone reader. A verse choir can be organized to use pitch, power, phrasing, tempo, voice quality, and movement to interpret a piece of literature. Although…

"Communication apprehension" is a broad-based fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated communication with another person or persons. The purpose of this paper, the fifth in a series of five dealing with communication reticence is to speculate on the causes, correlates, and effects of communication apprehension. The…

Concludes that the test represents a carefully designed, standardized, norm referenced instrument for children aged 6 to 14.(FL)

Focuses on the role of the state speech association in improving the teaching of oral communication skills in the K-12 curriculum. Describes the cooperative projects developed by the Illinois Speech and Theatre Association, with the Illinois State Board of Education, as an example of how state associations can become involved. (PD)

This study compared teachers' ratings of the speech intelligibility and receptive communication skills of 15 severely deaf and 15 profoundly deaf students using five methods of communication; and students' scores on tests of these receptive communication methods. Teachers' ratings generally were lower than test scores, with low correlations…

This paper discusses normal and deviant phonological processes and describes applications of emerging technology to enhance acquisition of spoken language by hearing-impaired children. Key elements for advancing spoken language development include exposure to spoken language patterns from early infancy, increased use of strategies promoting…

Intended to help teachers, administrators, and others improve oral and written communication programs in their schools and districts, this report provides a starting point for program review. Various sections of the report contain (1) copies of the Washington State Board of Education Goals for the Common Schools, and oral and written…

This report provides suggestions on how to implement an integrated assessment model to assess comprehensive student projects to ensure that school districts meet the Common Curriculum Goals of the public elementary and secondary schools in Oregon. As a supplement to existing standardized testing programs, the integrated model may be especially…

A booklet intended for classroom use in beginning and intermediate German instruction provides students with a series of authentic McDonald's fast food restaurant placemats with which to review and reinforce adjective endings. Specific objectives are for students to: read and discuss each of the German McDonald's trayliners, complete a series of…

Part of a series of booklets for parents of deaf-blind children prepared by Project STEPS (Steps Toward Effective Production of Speech), this booklet contains a list of words and their meanings and is designed to promote understanding about hearing and vision loss. The roles of professionals working with deaf blind children are explained. The…

The 40 references in this annotated bibliography are intended for educators concerned with assessment of basic speaking and listening skills, especially in the context of minimal competency testing and basic skill improvement programs. The materials cited do the following: (1) address broad assessment issues; (2) review a variety of test…

A variety of techniques can help a teacher create the atmosphere of a "quality circle," a Japanese management method in which each member of a group shares and contributes to the learning experience. "Creating a Commercial" allows students to create original oratory for presentation to the class. In "The Good News First," students improve their…