ABSTRACT
As T. Zuhlke and M. VanLanduyt freely admit, language experience, the basis of the Kenosha Model, "is not new nor was it created in this community". Language experience typically consists of student involvement in an experience, after which the teacher encourages discussion. Zuhlke and VanLanduyt point out specific advantages they see in the Kenosha Model: cultural fairness, personalization, an integrated and varied curriculum, and flexible instruction that capitalizes on teacher and student strengths. The Kenosha Model staff has found that integrating skills instruction with the unit materials and activities is a successful way to teach middle-grades students. Classroom teachers permit placement in the program and suggest students' instructional needs. The Kenosha Model actively involves parents at the program level in the District Advisory Council (DAC), the school level in the School Advisory Councils (SACs), and the classroom level in a variety of ways, including volunteerism, observation, and participation in conferences.
