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Valuing Language Study: Inquiry Into Language for Elementary And DOCUMENT RESUME ED 473 960 CS 511 879 AUTHOR Goodman, Yetta M. TITLE Valuing Language Study: Inquiry into Language forElementary and Middle Schools. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, IL. ISBN ISBN-0-8141-5626-6 PUB DATE 2003-00-00 NOTE 299p: AVAILABLE FROM National Council of Teachers of English, 1111W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, IL 61801-1096 (Stock no. 56266-1659: $26.95members; $35.95 nonmembers). Tel: 800-369-6283 (Toll Free);Web site: http://www.ncte.org. PUB TYPE Books (010) -- Guides - Classroom- Teacher (052) EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC12 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Classroom Techniques; Elementary Education; *LanguageArts; *Language Role; *Language Usage; Middle Schools;Student Needs; Thematic Approach IDENTIFIERS Curriculum Implementation ABSTRACT Every day in so many ways, children are surroundedby language: from the language of home and family, to thenever-ending bombardment of environmental print, to the clash betweenschool admonitions to use "standard" English and theirpeer groups' specialized and invented speech. According to the author of this book, studentslove to think and talk about language as much as teachers do. The book offers teachersa rich language studies curriculum they can adapt to the needs oftheir elementary and middle school students, providing opportunitiesto talk, write, read, and think about language in ways that increase their selfconfidence in their ability to use language flexibly and appropriately. The bookcontends that through critical-moment teaching, strategy lessons, anda rich array of theme cycles on language and linguistics, language and literature,and language as power, teachers and students can explore the roles that language plays in society, document both personal and social issues oflanguage use, and discover that language study can be both enlightening andexciting. It finds that, in the process, students come to value theirown intuitive knowledge about language, as well as the potential of language to influencetheir lives and the lives of others. (Contains approximately 300references.)(NKA) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. AIL GO I 11 .A.11 OD U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy -4 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Ms . TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) elk I P BESTCOPYAVAILABLE EDITORIAL BOARD:Jacqueline Bryant, Kermit Campbell, Xin Liu Gale, Sarah Hudelson, Gerald R. Og lan, Helen Poole, Jackie Swensson, Gail Wood, Zarina M. Hock, chair,ex officio, Kent Williamson, ex officio, Peter Feely,ex officio Valuing Language Study Inquiry into Language for Elementary and Middle Schools YETTA M. GOODMAN University of Arizona National Council of Teachers of English 1111 W. Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801-1096 Excerpt from The Geranium on the Window Sill Just Died, but Teacher You Went Right On reprinted by permission of Albert Cullum. From Ego-Tripping and Other Poems for Young People, © 1973 by Nikki Giovanni. Reprinted with permission of Lawrence Hill Books. Excerpt from "Pencils" in SMOKE AND STEEL by Carl Sandburg, copyright 1920 by Harcourt, Inc. and renewed 1948 by Carl Sandburg, reprinted by permission of the publisher. Staff Editor: Bonny Graham Interior Design: Jenny Jensen Greenleaf Cover Design: Pat Mayer Cover and Interior Photographs: Joel Brown NCTE Stock Number: 56266-3050 ©2003 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or trans- mitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including pho- tocopy, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright holder. Printed in the United States of America. It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publications to provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concerning the content and the teach- ing of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view does not imply endorsement by the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, or the membership at large, except in announcements of policy, where such endorsement is clearly specified. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Goodman, Yetta M., 1931 Valuing language study : inquiry into language for elementary and middle schools / Yetta M. Goodman. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8141-5626-6 (pbk.) 1. Language arts (Elementary). 2. Language arts (Middle school) I. National Council of Teachers of English. II. Title LB1576 .G7195 2003 372.6dc21 2002151992 To my daughters, Debi, Karen, and Wendy, who continue to show me how to value language and language development. Aschildren they intrigued and inspired me with their love of talk and books and their language inventions. As adolescents they introduced me to the flexible ranges of urban dialects and registers as they communicated with friends, teachers, and other adults in their lives. Their reading and written expressions revealed their personalities and understand- ings. As adults they continue to reveal the concept of lifelong lan- guage learning as I interact with them, as theyadd new languages and new ways of using language, and as they develop as authors. As professionals they continue to heighten my understanding of the importance of trusting and respecting learners of all ages. As moth- ers they have provided a second generationof language informants. So I also dedicate this to Eli, Reuben, Aaron, Shoshana, Joshua, Noah, and Rachel. CONTENTS PREFACE iX INTRODUCTION Xiii I Language Study in Elementary and Middle Schools 1 A Rationale for Language Study 3 Historical Overview of Language Study Curricula 6 Principles for a Language Study Curriculum 8 Linguistic Knowledge Informs Language Study 19 Teaching/Learning Experiences 25 Language Study Curriculum 28 2 Organizing for Language Study 29 Perceiving, Ideating, and Presenting 29 Raising Language to a Conscious Level 35 Becoming a Language Scientist: Inquiry Study 40 Kidwatching: Record Keeping and Evaluation 43 II Language Study Experiences 3 Critical-Moment Teaching 49 Legitimizing Critical-Moment Teaching 49 Spontaneous Language Interactions 52 Human and Physical Resource Use 57 Conferences 63 Exploration of Miscues 69 Building Language Traditions 75 Documenting Critical-Moment Teaching 79 4 Strategy Lessons 82 Planning for Strategy Lessons 83 Understanding Language Use 85 Using Oral Language 92 Listening 100 vii 7 Contents Using Written Language 105 Language Inventions and Language Conventions 113 HI Theme Cycles for a Language Study Curriculum Introduction to Part III 131 Getting Ideas for Theme Cycles 131 Planning and Reporting 137 5 Focus on Language and Linguistics 143 Language Use 143 Language Processes 157 Language Variation 161 Language History and Development 170 Language Form 174 6 Focus on Language and Literature 180 Publishing 180 Format and Font Variation 187 Genre Variation 197 A Study of Schooling 211 7 Focus on Language as Power 218 Power and Control 220 Students' Right to Their Own Language 228 Censorship 240 Demystifying Language 242 REFERENCES 249 INDEX 269 AUTHOR 283 PREFACE have been researching, teaching, and writingabout language Iand literacy all of my professional life. Languagestudy pro- vides me with many opportunities to considerthe role of lan- guage in relation tothe human condition and to support the rights of students and their teachers to use their ownlanguage and think- ing to understand the worldto express whatthey know and believe freely and to be able to make sense of whatothers say and write. I have been writing this book on languagestudy in elemen- tary and middle schoolclassrooms for more than a decade. I have read work by others regarding languagestudy that sup- ported my continual rethinking and aided in organizinglanguage study possibilities. I have used this work toreflect on what I think is valuable about language study for kids inschool. As a former teacher of both children and adolescents, Iknew that kids could get excited about language issues thataffected their daily lives. My interest in language study for students built on my own teaching and was extended through dynamicdiscussions with colleagues, including teachers who hold similar beliefsabout the importance of language study experiences that energizeand ex- cite elementary and middle school students.The teachers in my classes responded enthusiastically to these ideas. Mostof them hadn't considered the possibilities of a wholelanguage inquiry curriculum focused on studying language throughtheir own and their students' questions and concerns. A number of years ago I began to write theseideas for pos- sible publication and shared my writing withcolleagues and graduate students. Their responses and ourinteractions have enriched the ideas in this book and helped mecontinuously re- vise and adapt my writing. I never revisit thisbook without find- Preface ing somethingnew to add or remembering something more that I want to share. I continue to wonder why K-12 curricula donot focus more on language as an object of studylanguage and linguistic study. As an educational community, colleagues,
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