Whole Language in the Middle School.

When entering a typical eighth-grade classroom, a person might see stu dents talk to each other, bang on their desks with their pens, make popping noises and hissing sounds to accompany lyrics to the rap they have on their minds, ask "Can I ask a question?" or "Can I go to the bath room?" or "What time do we get out of here?, apply makeup over their blemishes, comb their hair, stare at the member of the opposite gender who is the latest to attract their com plete and undivided attention, cry over the loss of their best friend, shoot lead sticks (meant to fill a mechanical pencil) into the air from a hypodermic needle, bend a paperclip for the fun of it, and pass notes to each other. These notes are of particular interest for two reasons: First, they indicate the writer's extreme desire that the reader practice his or her own literary skills and write back; and second, they manifest the rare occasion when students are concerned about the quality of