The main thesis of this book which describes a pupil-centered curriculum is that students should use language more than they customarily do. The curriculum is based on a "naturalistic" approach "whereby students learn essentially by doing and receiving feedback." Consequently, most of the book is devoted to guiding the student from a posture of simply receiving language to one in which he uses, experiences, and produces it. The summary of principles in the book's introduction indicates that the curriculum emphasizes thinking skills, writing from personal experience, self-awareness, sequential development, trial-and-error learning, small-group interaction, and language as a social act. Literature is integrated with writing and language activities in the belief that such activities will "directly help to develop the faculties necessary for reading comprehension." The 29 chapters in the book are organized under four study levels: K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-13. Each chapter for the elementary grades concentrates on methods of teaching language activities, and emphasizes students' responses to their own and peer writing. Later chapters present types of discourse, using both student writing and published materials as examples. (See also TE 001 467.) (LH)