Language Arts - Authenticity in Language Arts Education: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?, Apr 1996

Poetry grips children in this classroom and won’t let them go. Why? Because it is a shared experience that becomes an authentic part of life for the children and their teacher.

A primary goal of language arts educators is to help children develop their skill in composition. But as this research shows, to help all children become better composers, we must involve them in authentic oral, as well as written, composition.

The words of students prove to be a powerful force in helping teachers move toward a new view of language arts assessment and curriculum.

Authenticity shouldn’t be judged by surface appearances or by labels like whole language, the authors warn, and they take a deeper look at the nature of authentic language arts curriculum and instruction.