Introduction

Language is the basis of human community. With it we inform, persuade, challenge, support, and entertain each other (Dias, Beer, Ledwell-Brown, Pare, & Pittenger, 1992, p. 187).

Language and Learning

Language is a defining characteristic of human beings. Through a variety of social situations, students learn about language, words, sentence patterns, intonational patterns, and nonverbal cues, and they grow in their ability to use language. By interacting with others, children become confident users of language and versatile thinkers. Clearly, "language development is a long-term process that is interdependent with world experience and home and community language environments, attitudes, and opportunities to use and practice language" (Gambell, in Courtland and Gambell, 1994, p. 42).

A curriculum that develops students' facility with language provides students with the opportunities to:

learn to use language in a variety of meaningful ways considering and determining audience, purpose, and format
learn about language as a necessary tool for effective communication and consider elements of structure (text, sentence, word), spelling, grammar, usage, and mechanics (punctuation, capitalization)
learn through language by applying their knowledge of language to their listening, speaking, reading, and writing experiences.