ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the differences between spoken and written standard English and consider how to help students understand these differences and apply this understanding to their writing. It provides some even more specific ways of bringing the ideas of audience, purpose, and language expectations into the classroom to help students write effectively. Recognizing the differences in the conventions of spoken and written standard English is an important tool for students to master and be able to apply to their own work. The students have brainstormed topics, discussed research strategies, and learned about considering the trustworthiness of different sources. The students and Ms. Jay proceed to the media center, where they look up materials on the habitats they are studying. Students have a great deal of prior knowledge about spoken English; after all, they have been speaking it for most of their lives and in a variety of contexts.
