DOCUMENT RESUME ED 283 207 CS 210 653 AUTHOR Kelly, Patricia P., Ed.; Small, Robert C., Jr., Ed. TITLE Language, the Forgotten Content. INSTITUTION Virginia Association of Teachers of English. PUB DATE 87 NOTE 163p. PUB TYPE Guides - Classroom Usq - Guides (For Teachers) (052) == Viewpoints (120) -- Collected Works - Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Virginia English Bulletin; v37 nl Spr 1987 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Autobiographies; Childrens Literature; Critical Reading; Curriculum Development; Diachronic Linguistics;_Dialects;_Educational History; Elementary Secondary Education; *English; *English (Second Language); *English Curriculum; *English Instruction; English Teacher Education; *Grammar; Higher Education; Jak.xnese; Language Acquisition; *Language-Arts; Language Attitudes; Language Role; Learning Processes; Literary Criticism; Metaphors; Semantics; Skill Development;_Spelling; Standard Spoken_Usage; Teaching Methods; Vocabulary Levelopment; Writing (Composition) IDENTIFIERS Linguage Sensitivity ABSTRACT The ways that students can learn about the nature of the English language and develop a sense of excitement about their language are explored in this focused journal issue. The titles of the essays and their authors are as follows: (1) "Language, the Forgotten_Content" iR. Small and P. F. Kelly); (2) "What Should English Teachers Know about Language?" (J. C. Stalker); (3) "What Should Language Arts Teachers Teach about Language?" (C. Harrison); (4) "Finding Order to Language in the Elementary Classroom" E. H. Thompson); (9) "Grammar: How and When"-(J. H. Bushman); (6) "Standard English, World English, and Students' Rights to Their Own Language" (F. A. Cronin); (7) "Dialects: Resolving the 'My English-This English' Conflict" Baker);_(8) "Noah Webster: The Legacy of 'The Prompter'" (L. Alvine);_(9) "Ws 'Just' a Matter of Semantics!" (M. Kaiser); (10) "The_Phenomenon of Metaphor" (D. Gilmore); (11) "A Way Out of the Spelling Mess" (K. Gill); (12) "Studying-Personal Names" (B. Born); (13) "Vocabulary Study as Performance" (E. Miller); (14) "Teaching the History of English" tA. Reddy); (15) "Tett for Teachers" (S. E. Burkhardt); (16) "Language in Contexti_The Child, the Critic, and the Language of Literature" (B. A. Lehman); (17) "Sensitivity to Language"AM. J. Weiss); (18) "Teaching High School Students about Language Acquisition" (E. A. Poe); (19) "Writing a Linguistic Autobiography" (M. A. Christiansen); (20) "Learning English with a Foreign Accent" (E. Eidman-Aadahl); (21) "A Library for Teaching about the English Language" (D. J. Kenney); and (22) "Prospective Teachers Writing to Learn Grammar" (W. Self). (NKA) Spring 1987 Volume 37, Number 1 irgitila Ehgligh Bulletin Language, The Forgotten Content U.S-DEPANTMENT OF EDUCATION Oflce 01 EctucittOnat Research and Improvement lpERM(SSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EDUCATIONAL. RESOURCE-S INFORMATION 11 - MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) 411.i_docUment_hasIseen reproduced- as recetved from the person or orpenizahon _ oricurtatinp C Mmo_i_chinpes have been made to Improve VAT E reproduchon-OullIty Ponts_01 View or opintOnS stated trt INS docu- ment do_not necessarily represent offrcult TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OERI posthon or pobcy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Nrirginia Association of Teachers of English 2 BEST COPY MAILABLE Virginia Eng HA Bulletin _OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONOF _ THE VIRGINIA_ASSOCIATIONOF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Patricia P. Kelly and Robert c Silvio Jr. Editors College of Education Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 24061 Ray VanDvke Cartil Dallman Business Manager Editorial Assistant Montgomery County Schools Virginia Tech Christianshurg, VA 24073 illatk.sburg, VA 24061 Editorial Board EDRIE BAYS (1987) MALLORY LOEHR (1988) -Roarnike-Counly Schools AlbeMarle County Schools GERALD BYRD (1987) LORNA ROBERSON (1988) Henry Counts' Schools Vitgihia BeaLh Public Schools ALAN DEAN (1988) AUBREY YEATTS (1987) Pittsylvania County SchoolS Giles County Schools MANUSCRIPTS: the 'The:Editorial Board Of the I 'irginia EnglishBulletin welcomes contributions related to feathing of language arts and English at allSehoial levels, especially manuscripts of 3-8 pages MaritiScripts Should be typewritten, double-spacedand subinitted in on annovneed foci, February dupliCate._.--ootno!es should rarely be used.Deadlines for Cipy are September I and o-ettirri envelope: Authors should include name,whoa 1. Include self-addressed, stamped fit length position, courses taught_The editors reservethe right to modify manuscripts to arid Iahguage considerations. SUBSCRIPTIONS AND ADVERTISING: Subscription is included in the annual membershipdues of Sl0.00. Student dues are S2.00. MeMbership is for the calendar year. ForadvertiSing rates: contact the Business Manager. For single copies, contact the editOrs. AitS, Published twice annually by ;he vieginiaAssociation of Teachers of English Language department of a non-profit affiliate Of theNational Council of Teachers of English and a authors and not the Virginia Education Association.The VieWS exprtsed are those of the necessarily those of VATE. is Reproduction of material:from thiS publicationis hereby authorized if: (a) reproductiOn charge for educational use in UM-for-profitinstitutions, (13) copies are ilia& available without beyond the cost of reproductions; and (c)each ccitiy includes full citatinn of the scurce. COpyright 1987 by the Virginia Associationof Teachers of English MEMBER OF NCTE INFORMATIONEXCHANGE AGREEMENT PRINTED BY VIRGINIA TECH PRINTINGOFFICE, BLACKSBURG 3 VOLUME: 37. NUMBER 1 SPRING 1987 LANGUAGE. THE FORGOTTEN CONTENT TABLE OE CONTENTS Page From the Editors: 1.anguage. the Forgotten Content 1 Robert Small Patricia P. Kelly. What Should English Teachers Know about Language? James C. Stalker What Should Language Arts Teat hers Teath about Language? 13 ( olin Harrison Finding Order to Language in the Elementary Classrmini 24 Edgar H. Thompson Grammar: How and When 12 John H. Bushman Standard_Enzlish, World English. and Students' Right to Their Own Language 38 Frank A. Cronin _ Dialeus: Resolving th- "My English-ThiS English" Confliet 43 John_ Baker- NOah Webstcr:-The l.egacy of -The PrOmpter" 52 Lynne Alvine -It's./mt a Matter of Semantics" 63 Marjorie Kaiser 1 he Phenomenon of Metaphor 73 Dale Gilmore A Way Out of the Spelling Mess 76 Kent Gill Studying IPcronai Names 81 Bernice Born Vocabulary Studv as Performance 89 Elizabeth Miller Teaching the History of English 91 Anne Reddy rest for Teachers 100 Sally F. Burkhardt Language in Context: The Child. the Critic and the Language of Literature 101 Barbara A. Lehman Sensitivity to Language 106 M. leriV Weiss Teaching High School Students about Language Acquisition 113 Elizabeth Ann Poe Writin_g a Linguistic Autobiography 119 Mark A. Christiansen Learning English with a Foreign Accent 122 Elyse Eidman-Aadahl Language Teaching-Rescurces = A Library for Teaching about the English Language 131 Donald J. Kenney Teacher Enucahon Prospective Teachers Writing to Learn Grammar 137 Warren Self Great English Teaching Ideas In Praise of Serendipity,Frances SNewton_ 43 Bowl 220-T Teaching the Nova:I-ern Baker 44 Making Vocabulary Useful; Terri Baker 45 Dear_ Ernie:, Joy Young 45 Puzzling Through Social Studies, Peggy F .111er 46 Inducing, Writing, and The Searlei Letter. A. M. Tarr 47 Bethers_Best Sellers, Sharon 1-1-nrwitz 48 Fregli Media, Kathanne Auld Breece 48 Opinion Journals in Social Studies, Katharine Auld Breece 49 Book Reviews Teaching English Creatively 1513 Joyce Smoot _ From Imagfs to Words: A Visual Approach to Writing 151 Jane Lamb Creative Drama in the Classroom 152 LuAn Keller 1161_7IPSfor-Student Teachers 153 Charlotte P. Sellers Everdav Spelling Workbook 154 Patricia Price Your VATEOfficers Chris Hopkins 157 Virgd Davalai 157 Edgar H. (Herbi Thompson 158 Elizabeth Barber 158 VATE CONFERENCE October 16=18, 1987 Virginia Beach Conference Center Virginia Beach II From the Editors: Language, The Forgotten Subject Robert Small and Patricia P. Kelly The traditional and still popular way of looking at what English teachers teach &vides the subject into literature, language, and composition. We have, indeed, taught literature, though all too often we have tended to use the wrong books and to ignore the individual, personal nature of reading. But at least our _claim to be teachers of literature has been genuine. And we have taught composition, though, again, often in a way that ignored the way real people write and learn to write and the reasons why they write. Still, we have taught it. Language is, however, a different matter. The traditional program in language has been so poorly conceived that in our view it can hardly be said to have a legitimate claim to be called language study at all. Unless boring and rnislet.ding kiJs is all one wants from English class, the traditional language program has failed any way you look at it. lneffeduat The traditional program is not effective in the production of perfect spellers with extensive vocabularies, composers of clear and effective prose. or speakers and writers of only the most faultless of upper-class usage. In fact, the traditional program of dull drill on mostly useless material produces students who are not competent in any dimension of language. Nothing is more common than English teachers complaining that their students do_ not know grammar, despite the fact that other English teachers, in many cases their awn colleagues, have tried dutifully to teach those students grammar rules and definitions.