This pamphlet is the first in a series of ten stemming from the view that language is central to learning, that teachers can gain insights into their work and into learning by examining the language of the classroom, and that current language theory can be the means to such insights. The pamphlet contains a description of an informal study undertaken to determine whether second grade students were talking in the mode or register that they preferred to use in class. It includes transcripts of a directed reading lesson, of a social studies/language lesson built around a picture study, and of small group discussions following a field trip. A section containing reflections on the discussions is included. (FL)