Integration of Content in the Language Arts.

Pupils need to experience a rich language arts curriculum. Each learner must have feelings of self-worth and acceptance of others in the classroom setting. Educational psychologists have long recommended that learners perceive that content acquired is integrated. English teachers have debated the merits of teaching isolated learnings in the curriculum. The co:related English curriculum was introduced in the early 1900s; the fused English curriculum came somewhat later. A first grade student teacher guided her young learners on a visit to the ecology area next to the school building. Pupils noticed the oak, walnut, and hickory trees, watched squirrels running around, and watched and listened to birds. An active discussion ensued upon returning to the classroom. The teacher wrote student-generated sentences on the chalkboard based on their observations. The ideas presented from the excursion were easy for learners to read. An integrated language arts curriculum goes one step further than the fused approach in that subject matter from diverse disciplines is related to the language arts areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Other student teachers have used other academic disciplines to develop their own personalized reading materials in an integrated curriculum. (RS) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** INTEGRATION OF CONTENT IN THE LANGUAGE ARTS