Children in a first grade classroom (n=17) participated in a program to develop listening and speaking skills in the elementary school classroom. The importance of listening and speaking to social, academic, and developmental needs is discussed. Various programs that produced increases in these skills were evaluated and integrated in a new program. The program attempted to provide for listening and speaking practice and development within the existing school curriculum by making it a part of every aspect of the school day. Integration included modeling, directed questioning, the production of a play, storytelling, social experiences, and literature. At the end of the term, students were active listeners who faced the teacher and were quiet and attentive when spoken to. They were able to answer questions without bringing in stories totally unrelated to the question. Students were able to put storytelling skills into writing folktales with details and a definite beginning, middle, and end. Children also began to show higher order thinking in comprehension activities. These skills also increased students' attention to directions in content areas, especially math. This qualitative research can be a model for future quantitative studies. (Contains 39 references; appendixes contain sample versions of folktales told by students and a checklist of student skills after a folktale unit.) (Author/RS)