Focusing on activities that can be directly taught as "survival language situations," this journal (1) evaluates what school critics mean by "survival English," (2) demonstrates that teachers can easily pay attention to "survival"-oriented language, and (3) argues that a comprehensive English course enables students to meet all the language demands of society. Survival English is even more basic than "the basics"; it is an irreducible minimum of language needed for survival in the difficult, demanding modern world. The first section, focusing on survival talking, defines "survival situations," offers strategies to help prepare children handle unpredictable situations, and emphasizes the value of expressive talk, suggesting a "playground to classroom" oral language policy. The second section, designed to improve children's survival spelling and reading, presents ideas for teaching children to handle specific reading situations that are likely to arise in real life conditions. The third section argues that survival writing is essential to educational survival and, in some instances, cannot be avoided without some loss. The fourth section suggests classroom activities for countering two tendencies that may inhibit a child's language development and survival capabilities--television-induced passiveness and the fear of math. The final section discusses the limitations of the direct teaching of "survival language," a lesson from Leo Tolstoy, and the creative thrust of English instruction in the United States. (JD)