"Assessing Dance in Elementary Physical Education" is a special edition of the NASPE Assessment Series for K-12 Physical Education. Elementary school physical educators finally have a book that can help them plan assessments for dance, an important part of a comprehensive physical education curriculum. Through dance, students develop their motor…

This book explains the importance of teaching science to children and presents a theoretical framework on how to teach it. Science education is analyzed from two perspectives, teaching and learning. Contents include: (1) "Teaching Science 5-12: Why and How"; (2) "The Goals of Science Education"; (3) "Children Learning"; (4) "Children's Ideas"; (5)…

Offering information to help parents understand how writing is taught in classrooms that use the 6-Trait Model for writing assessment and writing instruction, this handbook describes the model and how parents can provide the kind of support at home that would make classroom instruction even more effective. Sections of the handbook are: "A…

The writing program described in this lesson plan guides students in grades 3 through 8 in composing cinquain poems, a five-line form that uses the syllable count of two-four-six-eight-two. During the two 50-minute lessons, students will: describe the basic conventions of cinquain; interpret examples of cinquain; characterize the relationship…

After reading a novel as a group, students prepare a television talk show that uses the characters from the story as the characters on the show. Students develop interview-style questions and answers for a character in the novel, and then act out the interview in class. During ten to eleven 45-minute lessons, students will: examine a character…

In this lesson plan, grade 3 to 5 students examine elements of fluent reading through oral poetry performance. They use the Internet to identify a poem to prepare and perform for the class. The main objective of this lesson concerns improving fluency. During four hours over a span of five days, students will: be able to identify text written in…

The persuasive writing program described in this lesson plan introduces grades 3 to 5 students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them, making persuasive arguments, and applying the techniques of persuasive oral arguments to independent persuasive writing activities. During the four 40-minute lessons, students…

Using the guiding question, "What is reading?," this lesson invites students to interact with a variety of different texts as they attempt to uncover the skills necessary to successfully interact with the text. Based upon the discussion that follows, students will create a living definition of reading. During three 40-minute lessons, students…

Description can make a piece of writing come alive. This lesson plan combines art and word play, emphasizing writing for an audience while drawing on multiple intelligences. Peer review and feedback reinforces the revision process as students create trading cards by drawing pictures of monsters and describing and categorizing them in detail.…

This lesson uses students' areas of interest both in and out of school to generate personalized vocabulary lists. Working in small groups, grade 3 to 5 students select their own vocabulary words and research their meanings. In a culminating activity that uses text and illustration, each student will create a "My World of Words Journal." During…

Predicated on a belief that assessment and evaluation should be vital, planned aspects of the curriculum, this booklet describes classroom-based assessment that serves to inform teachers, students, and parents of the learner's growth as well as to suggest next-step instructional goals. Procedures developed by classroom teachers which integrate…

Literature Circles are a great way to supplement a reading program in a literature-based classroom. In this lesson plan, students create and answer comprehension questions, discover new vocabulary, and examine elements of literature. The students feel ownership in Literature Circles, because they are responsible for the meeting. Any genre of…

With the help of the teacher, students will read fairy tales and identify common elements. Choosing common situations and working in small groups, students will draw storyboards of their fairy tale and then write the fairy tale. Project will conclude with class presentations. During ten 50-minute lessons, grade 3-5 students will: listen and read…

In today's culture, students are bombarded with movies based upon literature. Instead of assuming that students will watch the movie rather than reading the book, this lesson plan takes advantage of this phenomena by asking students to compare and contrast books with their movie counterparts and write for variety of authentic purposes. During five…

The reading program described in this lesson plan uses traditional stories of the Native peoples (narrative text) to introduce students to the study of animals in Alaska (expository text). During three 45-minute lessons, students will: complete a KWLQ (Know; Want to Know; Learn; Question) chart; listen and respond to a story (narrative text) by…