WLU is an NCTE Conference made up of whole language support groups and individual professionals interested in developing and implementing whole language in educational institutions. WLU is based on a view of whole language as a dynamic philosophy of education. Learn more by viewing the WLU Beliefs.
Join WLU by subscribing to our journal Talking Points
NCTE Annual Convention
Join us in Las Vegas, Nevada for the 2012 NCTE Annual Convention, November 14-18.
Submit a program proposal today!
2012 WLU Elections
The WLU Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for the offices of Board Member and President Elect.
Learn more and submit a nomination!
Connect with Us
There are several ways to connect with whole language educators around the world:
Join in and continue or start a conversation online in the WLU Connected Community.
Like the Whole Language Umbrella on http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Whole-Language-Umbrella/315948008421196.
Join TAWL Groups on Facebook or the TAWL Listserv. Teachers Applying Whole Language (TAWL) Groups provide individuals, usually from the same geographical area, a local network for their interest in whole language. Join or start a group today!
Contact a WLU Executive Board member with a question or comment.
New Books and More from NCTE
English Language Learners in Literacy Workshops
Marsha Riddle Buly, a mainstream classroom teacher who became a reading specialist and then a specialist in bilingual/ELL education, shows how reading, writing, and language workshops can be used to help language learners in mainstream K–8 classrooms.
Also, check out the On Demand Web seminar featuring Marsha Riddle Buly on 3 Strategies for Reaching Language Learners in Literacy Workshops.
Becoming Writers in the Elementary Classroom: Visions and Decisions
WLU Past President and author, Katie Van Sluys, demonstrates how to (re)claim our professional practice to ensure that young people have the opportunity to become competent, constantly growing writers who use writing to think, communicate, and pose as well as solve problems.
In this article from The Council Chronicle, August 2011, Katie Van Sluys notes that what teachers believe about teaching writing influences how their students learn to write.
Teaching Phonics in Context
Through myriad classroom vignettes, experienced educators David Hornsby and Lorraine Wilson show just how phonics is taught and learned in literacy-rich classrooms.
Also, check out the On Demand Web seminar featuring David and Lorraine on Reading and Writing in the Elementary Classroom: Teaching Phonics in Context.
What Whole Language Is Not: Common Myths and Misunderstandings
12 common myths about whole language are dispelled in this Fact Sheet from the Center for Expansion of Language and Thinking (CELT).
Read additional fact sheets.