Extending the literature base of a reading program through a thematic unit: Growing up

People develop language to communicate. Language is shaped by the social needs to understand others and to be understood by others. As a result, an individual\u27s language soon falls within the norms of the community\u27s language use. The need to interact with others drives children to learn language (Goodman, 1986). Language is learned from whole to part. Parts cannot be learned outside of the whole experience at any stage of development. Involvement with whole units of meaning fosters language development; therefore, language arts programs need to present experiences with stories and poems, not fragments such as skill lessons in isolation, and to involve children in the functions of language and with experiences that are meaningful to them. This description of language and how it is learned is known as 11whole language (Goodman, 1986)