This chapter summarizes the history of language arts instruction in America from the 17th century to present day. Key themes discussed include the sequential teaching of reading before writing from the 1620s-1780s. The 1780s-1840s saw the integration of speaking and spelling instruction. From the 1840s-1880s, there was a shift toward more child-centered reading and writing instruction influenced by Pestalozzianism. The 1880s-1930s brought further integration through Progressivism. Disintegration occurred in the 1930s-1970s with the dominance of whole word reading approaches. Finally, the 1980s-1990s saw renewed integration influenced by cognitive research, but standardized testing has emphasized reading over

1. Integrating the Elementary
Language Arts:
A Historical Perspective
E. Jennifer Monaghan
Douglas K. Hartman
Chapter 16

2. Toward Defining the Language Arts …
• “Our goal is to define … what students should
learn in the English language arts—reading,
writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visual
representing.”
International Reading Association/National Council of Teachers of English
(IRA/NCTE). (1996). Standards for the English Language Arts. Newark, DE:
International Reading Association/National Council of Teachers of English.

3. 1620s to 1780s
Sequential Teaching of
Reading & Writing
Reading the Bible is the route to
salvation
New-England Primer (n.p.). (1727). Boston: S. Kneeland & T. Green.

4. 1780s to 1840s
Integrating Speaking &
Spelling Instruction
Oral spelling is the route to reading
acquisition
Webster, N. (1843). The elementary spelling book; being an improvement
on the American Spelling Book (p. 20). New York: Cooledge & Brother.
(Original work published 1829).

5. 1840s to 1880s
Pestalozianism & Schoolbooks
A shift toward child-centered
reading instruction
William Holmes McGuffey (1837). Eclectic First Reader (p. 14). Cincinnati: Truman &
Smith. Reproduced in John H. Westerhoff III (1978). McGuffey and His Readers: Piety,
Morality, and Education in Nineteenth-Century America (p. 115). Nashville, TN:
Abingdon.

6. 1840s to 1880s
Pestalozianism & Schoolbooks
(continued)
A shift toward child-centered writing
instruction
Frost, J. (1839). Easy exercises in composition (p. 24). Philadelphia: W. Marshal.
Reproduced in Schultz, L.M. (1999), The young composers: Composition’s beginning in
nineteenth-century schools (p. 52). Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press.

7. 1880s to 1930s
Progressivism & the
Integration of Literacy
Instruction
Francis Wayland Parker
Source: http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu/photo_album/1809s/parker.html

8. 1930s to 1970s
Disintegrating the Language
Arts
The Whole Word Approach
Kleiser, C., Ettinger, W.L., & Shimer, E.D. (1917). The Progressive road to
reading: Story steps (p. 7). Boston: Silver, Burdett.

9. 1980s to 1990s
Integrating the Language Arts
Emergent literacy, process writing,
whole language, & literature-
based reading
Mavrogenes, N.A. (1987). Young children composing then and now: Recent research
on emergent literacy. Visible Language, 21, p. 281.

10. 1990s to 2010
Citations of the Words “Reading,” “Writing,” “Language Arts,” and
“Literacy” in Public Law 107-110 (2001), the No Child Left Behind law
Reading Writing Language Arts Literacy
COMBINED
TOTALS -249 26* 7 108
The disparity in favor of reading and reading instruction over writing and
Where We Are Now in the Era writing instruction is obvious.
* This total includes a deduction of 3 citations of the phrase “in writing.”
of NCLB Sources:
TITLE 1 Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged
Sections 1001-1004; Part A, Improving Basic Programs, sections
1111-1120B;
Part B, Student Reading Skills Improvement, sections 1201-1208; Subpart 2,
Early Reading First, sections 1221-1226; Subpart 3, William F. Goodling Family
Literacy, sections 1231-1242; Subpart 4. Improving Literacy…School Libraries, section
1251;
Part C, Education of Migratory Children, sections 1301-1309.
TITLE 2 Preparing, Training, and Recruiting High Quality Teachers and
Principals
Subpart 2. National Writing Project, sections 2331-2332.
Public Law 107-110, the No Child Left Behind of 2001. Retrieved November
29,
2010, from http://www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html
Renewed emphasis on reading
rather than writing instruction

11. Summary of Chapter
Era Years Themes/Events
Reading is taught before writing
The New England Primer: because it is through reading
Sequential Teaching of Reading 1620s to 1780s that the young acquire the
& Writing values (at this time, the
religious values) of adults.
In the 1730s, spelling books
emerge as the key text for
Noah Webster’s Spelling Books: American reading instruction,
Integrating Speaking & Spelling 1780s to 1840s which is based on the alphabet
with Reading Instruction method. Noah Webster’s
spellers outstrip all others in
their sales.
(Monaghan & Hartman, 2010)

12. Summary of Chapter
Era Years Themes/Events
The sterility of the alphabet
method and rote learning gives
Pestalozzianism & Child- rise to reform. Reformers
Centered Schoolbooks: invoke the child-centered
1820s to 1880s
Parallel Shifts in Reading & principles of Johann Pestalozzi
Writing Materials to introduce child-centered
reading and writing
instructional texts.
The same principles are
Francis Wayland Parker: adopted by Progressives, who
Progressivism & the Integration 1880s to 1930s integrate reading & writing into
of Literacy Instruction their curricula. Children read
what they have written.
(Monaghan & Hartman, 2010)

13. Summary of Chapter
Era Years Themes/Events
Both the Progressives & their
successful rivals, the adherents
of the scientific movement in
The Whole Word Approach: education, adopt the whole
1930s to 1970s
Disintegrating the Language Arts word approach to reading
instruction while synthetic
phonics and writing take a back
seat.
Research on language
acquisition & emergent literacy,
Integrating the Language Arts: combines with process writing,
The Impact of Cognitive 1980s to 1990s whole language, & literature-
Research based reading to renew a focus
on integrating the language
arts.
(Monaghan & Hartman, 2010)

14. Summary of Chapter
Era Years Themes/Events
New voices call for “balanced”
reading instruction, but “high
stakes” national and state
Where we Are Now: testing conflict with integrative
1990s to 2010s
In the Era of No Child Left Behind goals since they renew the
exaggerated emphasis on
reading, rather than writing
instruction.
(Monaghan & Hartman, 2010)

15. For More Information …
http://historyliteracy.org