A teacher, worried that parent-teacher conferences were not informative enough, invited the students to participate in their own conferences. The students have an added stake in the conferences, and parent attendance has increased because of the children's involvement. (MT)

Presents suggestions for making social studies interesting and motivating to students. The first article offers six strategies to make lessons dynamic. Several other articles go into the classroom to see how teachers are making social studies real to their students. Resources for further information are included. (SM)

Presents one teacher's classroom techniques for teaching responsibility through real-world learning experiences. Wall charts rotate everyday jobs. Students apply for challenging jobs. A lottery system determines who gets favorite jobs. Students vote on who organizes special events. (SM)

A classroom game simulates town activities in a third grade class to illustrate money management and principles of economics. (MM)

Suggestions for developing creative and original science fairs include trying new categories, issuing a challenge, and involving the community. (DF)

Teachers often ask questions to stimulate students' thinking, open up dialog, draw out responses, and keep a discussion flowing. However, questioning techniques can encourage student passivity and dependency. Alternatives to questioning are described. (CJ)

Testing can be a time-consuming and tedious method of evaluation. This article suggests methods which don't take additional classroom time or turn students off, and which provide more immediate and constructive feedback than routine testing. (IAH)

A teacher describes how she arranged successful field trips to enhance her students' education. The planning involved brainstorming for topics and destinations, making appropriate arrangements, creating a schedule, deciding upon the destination of choice, researching the subject, taking the trip, and returning to the classroom to review the trip.…

Using ordinary household items--vinegar, ammonia, and cabbage juice--teachers can demonstrate properties of acids, bases, and neutrals. Students are encouraged to discuss results and hypothesize about experiments. A guide to the project is provided. (JL)

Students need to learn about the real-world issues our nation faces. They need to understand how concerned individuals gather information, consider opposing opinions, come to conclusions, and act on their beliefs. Background information, resources, and classroom activities are provided to help students understand the importance of voting. (DF)

This article describes the origins of and the planning involved in a successful school-based staff development program called "Teacher Sharing." The program is simple, informal, and based entirely on teacher input. (IAH)

Describes portfolio assessment, recommending it as a means of dynamic and ongoing student evaluation. For students, portfolios stimulate thinking and promote independence. For teachers, they provide a multidimensional view of each child's development. The article explains how to get started, customize portfolio contents, collect notes, and manage…

This article offers suggestions to improve students' self-images, make assemblies more personal, get students to care about others and to care about their school. (MT)

This article provides detailed instructions on how to hatch chicken eggs. Sections include: (1) making the incubator; (2) making the brooder; (3) guidelines for hatching eggs; (4) from incubator to brooder; and (5) recommended readings. (JMK)

Six characteristics of successful writing conferences between teacher and student are discussed. Conferences should: (1) have a predictable structure; (2) focus on a few points; (3) demonstrate solutions to students' problems; (4) permit role reversals; (5) encourage use of a vocabulary appropriate for writing; and (6) stimulate pleasure in…