RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT ORAL LANGUAGE IS A BASIS FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN BOTH WRITING AND READING, AND MANY CHILDREN WHO HAVE NOT HAD SUFFICIENT EARLY HELP IN ORAL LANGUAGE HAVE DIFFICULTY WITH LANGUAGE SKILLS. HAVING CHILDREN DICTATE COMPOSITIONS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR GROWTH IN ORAL LANGUAGE, AND THE TRANSCRIPTIONS CAN PROVIDE A SOURCE OF READING MATERIAL. THE USE OF THE TAPE RECORDER IN DICTATED COMPOSITION IS AN EXCELLENT DEVICE FOR BUILDING LANGUAGE SKILLS THROUGH LISTENING, FOR DIAGNOSING CHILDREN'S USE OF LANGUAGE, AND FOR APPRAISING THEIR QUALITY OF SPEECH. TO STIMULATE DICTATION, BY GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS, THE TEACHER MUST MAKE AVAILABLE A WEALTH OF EXPERIENCES BASED ON THE CHILDREN'S OWN INVOLVEMENT. FROM THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN, THE TEACHER CAN TAPE AND PLAY BACK UNREHEARSED CONVERSATION, REALIZING THAT THE KIND OF ACTIVITY IN WHICH THE CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED DIRECTLY RELATES TO THE TYPE OF SPEECH STIMULATED. THROUGHOUT THE ELEMENTARY GRADES, THE TEACHER SHOULD SEIZE EVERY POSSIBLE OPPORTUNITY TO TAPE AND TRANSCRIBE CHILDREN'S DICTATION, TO LET THEM HEAR AND READ THEIR COMPOSITIONS, AND, AS THEIR WRITING SKILLS DEVELOP, TO ASSIST THEM IN BECOMING THEIR OWN RECORDERS. (THIS SPEECH WAS PRESENTED AT THE 1967 NCTE ANNUAL CONVENTION.) (MM)