Integrating the use of a social studies text, trade books, and writing can be a daunting task for teachers in grades 5-7. A sample lesson used with senior level preservice teachers enrolled in a content area reading course is the focus of this paper. Suggestions for duplicating the lesson in a middle school setting are included. The lesson…

This lesson supports third- through fifth-grade students' exploration of multiple online sources to gather information about the life of a well-known explorer, Christopher Columbus. During the two 50- to 60-minute sessions, students will: use prewriting (a K-W-L chart) to prepare for research; use prior knowledge to extend the depth of inquiry;…

A simple, but useful, handout given to mothers of young children can greatly increase the likelihood that they will present aspects of emergent literacy in their homes. The concept of emergent literacy states that all literacy learning begins in infancy and proceeds forward from that point, and that all of the literacy skills of oral language,…