DOCUMENT RESUME ED 309 387 CS 009 731 AUTHOR Manning, Gary, Ed.; Manning, Maryann, Ed. TITLE Whole Language: Beliefs and Practices, K-8. Aspects of Learning Series. INSTITUTION National E:ucation Association, Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 89 NOTE 243p. AVAILABLE FROMNEA Professional Library, P.O. Box 509, West Haven, CT 06516 (Stock No. 1482-0, $15.95). PUB TYKE Books (010) -- Collected Works - General (020) EDRS PRICE MFO1 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS Anthologies; *Back to Basics; *Educational Trends; Elementary Education; Language Arts; Phonics; *Reading Instruction; Spelling; *Teacher Role; Teaching Methods; *Writing Instruction IDENTIFIERS *Whole Language Approach ABSTRACT This 25-chapter anthology includes the ideas of many of the leading authorities on whole language and contains chapters on the meaning of whole language, the skills movement, reading and writing development, and teacher autonomy. Chapters are: "Whole Language: What's New?" (Bess Altwerger and others); "Language Arts Basics: Advocacy vs. Research" (Peter Hasselriis and Dorothy J. Watson); "Examining Instructional Assumptions: The Child as Informant" (Jerome C. Harste and Carolyn L. Burke); "Demonstrations, Engagement and Sensitivity: The Choice between People and Programs" (Frank Smith); "'Burn It at the Casket': Research, Reading Instruction, and Children's Learning of the First R" (Anne M. Bussis); "Early Phonics Instruction: Its Effect on Literacy Development" (Maryann Manning and others); "Reading Comprehension: From Cardboard Keys to Meaningful Text" (Barbara A. Lewis); "When Was 1864? Reading Comprehension--Making It Work" (Maryann Manning and others); "Authentic Language Arts Activities and the Construction of Knowledge" (Maryann Manning and others); "Early Spelling Development: What We Know and What We Do" (Gary Manning and Maryann Manning); "Social Interaction and Invented Spelling" (Constance Kamii and Marie Randazzo); "Kid Watching: An Alternative to Testing" (Yetta M. Goodman); "Literature as the Content of Reading" (Charlotte S. Huck); "Shared Book Experience: Teaching Reading Using Favorite Books" (Don Holdaway); "One-On-One Reading" (Roberta Long and others); "Fifth Graders Respond to a Changed Reading Program" (Cora Lee Five); "All Children Can Write" (Donald H. Graves); "Is That Writing--Or Are Those Marks Just a Figment of Your Curriculum?" (Carole Edelsky and Karen Smith); "Write? Isn't This Reading Class?" (Marie Dionisio); "Dialogue Journals: A Tool for ESL Teaching" (David L. Wallace); "The Author's Chair" (Don Graves and Jane Hansen); "Beyond Basal Readers: raking Charge of Your Own Teaching" (Kenneth S. Goodman); "Restoring Power to Teachers: The Impact of 'Whole Language'" (Sharon J. Rich); "A Reflection on Reflective Practice in Teaching Reading and Writing" (Bernice J. Wolfson); "In the Process of Becoming Process Teachers" (Gary Manning and others). (RS) "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL IN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ne Felton )14E11 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) " U DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced IS reccved from the poison or organaabon originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to imerove reproduction quality Pointer,' vvv or opinions stated in this doCir ...in.An nose nolcoahailiv+ePreSCrl! omera, GS Whole Language: Beliefs and Practices, K-8 The Editors Gary Manning and Maryann Manning are Professors in the School of Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. They are the authors of several NEA publications: Reading Instruction in the Middle School, Improving Spell- ing in the Middle Grades, and A Guide and Plan for Conducting Reading (K-12) In-Service Workshops. They are also two of the coauthors of Reading and Writing in the Primary Grades, and they are the developers of Reading K-12: The NM In-Service Training Program. 4 Whole Language: Beliefs and Practicer, K-8 Gary Manning and Maryann Manning, Editors nea KOLAmAref National Education Association Washington. D.C. Copyright © 1989 National Education Association of the United States Printing History First Printing:July 1989 Note The opinions expressed in this publication should not be construed as represent- ing the policy or position of the National Edwation Association. Materials pub- lished by the NEA Professional Library are intended to be discussion documents for teachers who are concerned with specialized interests of the profession. Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-Public ion Data Whole languagebeliefs and practices, K-8 I Gary Manning and Maryann Manning, editors p. cm. (NEA aspects of learning) Bibliography p. ISBN 0-8106-1482-0 1. Language experience approach in education 2 Language arts (Elementary) 3. Reading (Elementary)Language experience approach. IManning, Gary L. II Manning, Maryann Murphy Ill National Education Association of the United States IV. Series LB1576 W4866 1989 372.6dc19 89-3156 CIP 6 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION by Gary Manning and Maryann Manning 7 1. WHOLE LANGUAGE: WHAT'S NEW? by Bess Altwerger, Carole Eclelsky, and Barbara M. Flores 9 2.LANGUAGE ARTS BASICS: ADVOCACY VS RESEARCH by Peter Hasselriis -Ind Dorothy J. Watson 24 3. EXAMINING INSTRUCTIONAL ASSUMPTIONS: THE CHILD AS INFORMANT by Jerome C. Harste and Carolyn L. Burke 33 4.DEMONSTRATIONS, ENGAGEMENT AND SENSITIVITY: THE CHOICE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PROGRAMS by Frank Smith. 48 5. 'BURN IT AT THE CASKET': RESEARCH, READING INSTRUCTION, AND CHILDREN'S LEARNING OF THE FIRST F. by Anne M. Bussis 60 6.EARLY PHONICS INSTRUCTION: ITS EFFECT ON LITERACY DEVELOPMENT by Maryann Manning, Gary Manning, and Constance Kainii 72 7. READING COMPREHENSION: FROM CARDBOARD KEYS TO MEANINGFUL TEXT by Barbara A. Lewis 79 8.WHEN WAS 1864? READING COMPREHENSION MAKING IT WORK by Maryann Manning, Gary Manning, and Constance Kamii 84 AUTHENTIC LANGUAGE ARTS ACTIVITIES AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE by Maryann Manning, Gary Manning, and Roberta Long 93 10. EARLY SPELLING DEVELOPMENT. - WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAr WE DO by Gary Manning and Maryann Manning 98 11. SOCIAL INTERACTION AND INVENTED SPELLING By Constance Kamii and Marie Randazzo 104 (1 I 12. KID WATCHING. AN ALTERNATIVE TO TESTING by Y -tta M. Goodman ...........115 13. LITERATURE AS THE CONTENT OF READING by Charlotte S. Huck 124 14. SHARED BOOK EXPERIENCE. TEACHING READING USING FAVORITE BOOKS by Don Hold away .. ................... 137 15. ONE-ON-ONE ON READING by Roberta Long, Maryann Manning, and Gary Manning 151 16. FIFTH GRADERS RESPOND TO A CHANGED READING PROGRAM by Cora Lee Five 157 17. ALL CHILDREN CAN WRITE by Donald H. Graves ... .... ...............169 18. IS THAT WRITINGOR ARE THOSE MARKS JUST A FIGMENT OF YOUR CURRICULUM? by Carole Edelsky and Karen Smith 183 19. WRITE? ISN'T THIS READING CLASS? by Marie Dionisio 194 20. DIALOGUE JOURNALS: A TOOL FOR ESL TEACHING by David L. Wallace 201 21. THE AUTHOR'S CHAIR by Don Graves and Jane Hansen 208 22. BEYOND BASAL READERS: TAKING CHARGE OF YOUR OWN TEACHING by Kenneth S. Goodman 217 23. RESTORING POWER TO TEACHERS: THE IMPACT OF "WHOLE LANGUAGE" by Sharon). Rich 220 24. A REFLECTION ON REFLECTIVE PRACTICE IN TEACHING READING AND WRITING by Bernice). Wolfson 229 25. IN THE PROCESS OF BECOMING PROCESS TEACHERS by Gary Manning, Maryann Manning, and Roberta Long 235 8 INTRODUCTION by Gary and Maryann Manning The last decade or so has been a time of significant growth in under- standing how students develop as readers and writers. In the past, class- room teachers used some sensible practices in teaching reading. They had sound intuition, they were trusted and supported, and they acted accord- ingly. In addition. the- learned about reading and writing instruction from several reading authorities who had remarkable insight into the na- ture of student learning. Jeanette Veatch, for example, made teachers aware of individualized reading and provided a number of ideas for helping students develop as readers. May Hill Arbuthnot informed and excited teachers about the wonderful world of children's books. Roach Van Allen acquainted teachers with the importance of students' writing their own stories as well as being surrounded with meaningful print. And Mauree Applegate held teachers spellbound with her suggestions about English. In the late sixties and early seventies, however, abandoning their intu- ition, many teachers flirted with or became committed to the skills movement. Some watched and even approved asthe behaviorists chopped the act of reading into bits and pieces of isolated skills, placing those scraps on a skills continuum. Teachers continued to observe as tests were developed to assess student "mastery" of the bits and pieces. When the expected proficiency was not forthcoming, additional work- sheets, workbooks, and drill activities were produced to ensure student mastery of these so-called essential skills that were promised as the solu- tion to the nation's reading problems. After watching students struggle over digraphs, diphthongs, and other isolated skills, we, like countless others, became disenchanted with this view of language learning. We noticed several thingsstudents could buoble in the right answer on a test measuring skills; they could com- plete stacks of dittos, but often could not read or tell about what they read; others could read, but chose not to because it was not a pleasurable activity for them. Fortunately, teachers have now recaptured their intuition about lan- guage learning,