Ideas and Insights: Language Arts in the Elementary School. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Ill
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 287 173 CS 210 834 AUTHOR Watson, Dorothy J., Ed. TITLE Ideas and Insights: Language Arts in the Elementary School. INSTITUTION National Council of Teachers of English, Urbana, Ill. REPORT NO ISBN-0-8141-2259-0 PUB DATE 87 NOT! 246p. AVAILABLE FROMNational Council of Teachers of English, 1111 Kenyon Rd., Urbana, IL 61801 (Stock No. 22590-222, $11.95 member, $14.95 nonmember). PUB TYPE Books (010) -- Guides - Classroom Use - Guides (For Teachers) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Class Activities; *Content Area ReaZ'ing; *Content Area Writing; Elementary Education; English Curriculum; Family School Relationship; Integrated Activities; Language Acquisition; *Language Arts; Language Usage; Listening Skills; Literature Appreciation; Newspapers; Reading Assignments; *Reading Instruction; Reading Skills; Reading Writing Relationship; Teaching Methods; Writing Exercises; *Writing Instruction; Writing Skills IDENTIFIERS Audience Awareness; Collaborative Learning; *Whole Language Approach; Writing Contests; Writing Topics ABSTRACT Intended to provide elementary school language arts teachers with new and interesting teaching activities, this book contains over 100 teacher-tested classroom activities that are based on the whole language approach to learning. Chapters discuss the following: (1) a world of language in use; (2) literature points the way (including themes and organization, literature and experience, and extended literature); (3) making sense by reading (including predictions and expectations, reading awareness and control, invitations to read, and music, drama, and reading); (4) writing for self-expression; (5) learning to write by writing; (6) writing for an audience (including developing a sense of audience, and messages, notes, and letters); (7) reading, writing, listening, and speaking across the curriculum (including language arts across the curriculum, and reading and writing newspapers); (8) kids helping other kids: the collaborative effort (including cooperative learning, and games and holiday activities); (9) home is where the start is; and (10) valuing and evaluating learners and their language. The 15-page bibliography contains sections on read-aloud books, wordless books, extending literature and reading leading to writiri. predictable language, predictable life experience books for upper elementary children, sing-along books, children's magazines, and publishers of children's writing. A list of teaching activities in the book is incl-ided. (SKC) Ideas and Insights Language Arts in the Elementary School Dorothy J. Watson, Editor University of MissouriColumbia Ideas and Insights Editorial Board Ralph Peterson Arizona State University Ruie Pritchard University of North Carolina U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Rematch and Wm...mint EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION Elizabeth M. Baker CFATER (ERIC) 114.This document has been reproduced as Columbia, Missouri, Public Schools 'cowed fron the person or organization originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of vow or opinions stated in this docir mint Co not mmessanly represent official OERI position or policy. "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEE. GRANTED BY NCTE TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." National Council of Teachers of English 1111 Kenyon Road, Urbana, Illinois 61801 BEST COPYAVAILABLE 2 Dedication and Invitation: This book is dedicated to the teachers who lived thelessons, offered them to other teachers, and became greater teachers for having doneso. it is also dedicated to teachers who are searching. We inviteyou to choose the best of our best to fit your own classrooms and, when you see gaps and thinspots, to weave them whole with your own knowledge, genius, and love. Ideas and Insights Editorial Board: Ralph Peterson, Arizona State University;Ruie Pritchard, University of North Carolina; and Elizabeth M. Baker, Columbia, Missouri, Public Schools NCTE Editorial Board: Candy Carter, Julie M. Jensen, Delores Lipscomb,John S. Mayher, Thomas Newkirk, John C. Maxwell, ex officio, Paul O'Dea,ex officio Staff Editor: Jane M. Curran Book Design: Tom Kovacs for TGK Design; cover illustration by LouiseKrauss NCTE Stock Number 22590 ® 1987 by the National Councilof Teachers of English. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. It is the policy of NCTE in its journals and other publicationsto provide a forum for the open discussion of ideas concernng the content andthe teaching of English and the language arts. Publicity accorded to any particular point of view doesnot 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 Ideas and insights. Bibliography: p. 1. Language arts (Elementary)United States. 2. Reading (Elementary)United StatesLanguage experience approach.I. Watson, Dorothy J. (Dorothy Jo), 1930- . II. National Council of Teachers of English. LB15761331987 372.6 87-22110 ISBN 0-8141-2259-0 3 Contents An Invitation vii Introduction ix Pint 1 1 1. A World of Language in Use 3 2. Literature Points the Way 21 Section A: Themes and Organization 21 Section B: Literature and Experience 35 Section C: Extended Literature 44 3. Making Sense by Reading 61 Section A: Predictions and Expectations 61 Section B: Reading Awareness and Control 73 Section C: Invitations to Read 85 Section D: Music, Drama, and Reading 96 Part 2 103 4. Writing for Self-Expression 105 5. Learning to Write by Writing 121 6. Writing for an Audience 129 Section A: Developing a Sense of Audience 129 Section B: Messages, Notes, and Letters 136 Part 3 141 7. Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking across the Curriculum 143 Section A: Language Arts across the Curriculum 143 Section B: Reading and Writing Newspapers 164 v vi Contents Part 4 171 8. Kids Helping Other Kids: The Collaborative Effort 173 Section k. Cooperative Learning 173 Section P: Games and Holiday Activities 185 9. Home Is, Where the Start Is 193 Parts 207 10. Valuing and Evaluating the Learners and Their Language 209 BibHography 221 Read-Aloud Books 223 Wbrdless Books 226 Extending Literature: Reading Leading to Writing 228 Predictable Language 232 'predictable Life Experience Books for Upper Elementary Children 234 Sing-Along Books 236 Children's Magazines 237 Publishers of Children's Writing 238 List of Teaching Activities in This Book 241 An Invitation If you are a dreamer, come in. For we have some flax-golden tales to spin. Come in! Shel Silverstein, from "Invitation," in Where the Sidewalk Ends (Harper and Row, 1974) The many authors and editors of this book invite cumstances of real thought (hypothesizing, risk tak- you to come in and to consider our best teaching ing, organizing, getting it wrong, getting it right, ideas activities that have found success in class- categorizing, summarizing, pondering, modifying, rooms across the United States, Canada, and Aus- and a thousand other -ings) take the place of pre- tralia. We are keenly aware that most books that fabricated language arts programs that may not present ideas to teachers are often referred to as accommodate the different interests and talents of being "recipe books" or "old hat:' We presume to students. The whole language approach nourishes suggest that our ideas are a different offering; that, the development of each child's thoughts and lan- to borrow from Silverstein, in the hands of "drea- guage and gives consideration to each child's beliefs, mers, wishers, liars, hope-ers, pray-ers, and magic lifestyles, values, and needs. Children of all cultures bean buyers" in other words, teachers our sug- and subcultures have a place in the society of their gestions can become "flax-golden tales" for you and classroom, and their contributions are celebrated. your students. It won't take long for readers of this book to Ideas and Insights discover that there are no skill, drill, and fill-in-the- We selected a title indicating that these were not blank exercises to be found on these pages, for this is just random ideas to "spice up" a traditional lan- not the way children learn to write, read, listen, and guage arts program. We wanted to emphasize that speak. What you will find, however, are activities that the suggestions offered here were firmly anchored encourage language in its fullness, activities that are in both practical theory and in theoretical practice. based on the whole language approach to learning. The activities not only needed a Who and How In this approach, all the systems of language explanation, but they needed a rationale a Why including semantics, grammar, letters, and sounds as well. Each activity is introduced with the teacher's are integrated in teaching and learning situations special reasons for inviting children to spend their rather than disintegrated and drilled on. Students time, energy, and enthusiasm on it. We acknowledge are invited daily to read whole stories, poems, and that some Why sections could be longer and more books; to write self-generated stories, poems, and in-depth, but we leave it to you to add your reasons books; and to have conversations and conferences for giving the activity a try. with peers, teachers, parents, senior citizens, and To support the Why sections, we contacted three other interested and interesting people. Language is teachers who have given freely of their knowledge learned as children use it in reading, writing, listen- to other teachers throughout the world: Leland ing, and speaking about science, math, and social Jacobs, Kenneth Goodman, and Donald Graves. studies, and as they transact with their world and Leland Jacobs confirms what whole language teach- the people init. The artifacts of real language ers have suspected for a long time literature is a (complete texts and writing materials) and the cir- way of knowing; and when it is given its rightful vii 6 viii An Invitation place in the language arts curriculum, there is an provides suggestions that bring the home and the aesthetic awareness for children that is an experience classroom together.