Presents different types of imaginary play for the elementary classroom. Covers areas such as play acting, puppets, music, and art as outlets for children's imagination. Outlines the teacher's role in facilitating imaginative play. (DR)

Horse drawings by female children are analyzed. The construction of meaning in children's drawing frequently remains as much in the child's mind as it is graphically expressed. Educators must develop an appreciation for children's fantasy worlds and the ways these worlds both mirror and transform their lives. (RM)

Presents a series of classroom exercises and activities that stimulate children's creativity through the use of visualization. Discusses procedures for guided imagery and offers some examples of "trips" to imaginary places. Proposes visualization as a warm-up exercise before art lessons. (DR)

Halloween can be celebrated quite well with classical music. Music that relates, directly or indirectly, to fantasy, the supernatural, or the macabre is described. (RM)

Piaget noted that young children cannot think in a logical fashion, objectively, or about hypothetical situations. These limitations of preoperational thinking render the young child dependent upon or bound by perceptions. Overreliance upon perceptions results in children's inability to distinguish fantasy from reality. Young children's…

This publication on fantasy and folklore is a collection of puzzles, games, stories, exercises, activities, and other ideas for teachers. Materials and their authors include: (1) "Once upon a Plot" (Joyce Bennett); (2) "Kennings" (Marjorie Merwin); (3) "Putting a Hex On" (Marilyn Kahl); (4) "What's Your…

Describes students' work during a 12-week course on fantasy offered to talented and gifted high school students. Illustrates how the students learned about metaphor and inference. (SRT)

Rastafarians have used biblical geography to invest themselves with sanctity, status, and a global significance. They have reinterpreted the geography of the Bible in a novel manner that makes sense for them and provides a world map essential to their doctrine and manner of life. (RM)

Discusses the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, explaining how to use it to enhance reading and writing instruction. The article presents a brief interview with J.K. Rowling, a Harry Potter time line, and ideas for working on writing and editing paragraphs, creating dynamic dialogue, and fixing grammar and punctuation. Other fantasy books are…

Notes that lesson plans in English classes are unlike those in many disciplines, because the human factors involved often cause unpredictable elements. Points out that fantasy and spiritual inspiration often come into play when teachers put together language arts lesson plans. (SKC)

Described are art activities that will challenge students to be creative by asking them to draw or sketch their ideas or fantasies regarding some aspect of the future. (RM)

The articles in this focused issue draw attention to works of contemporary literature with classroom potential. Four articles suggest new approaches for the reading and teaching of such established writers as Robert Frost; Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.; Eudora Welty; and Saul Bellow. Two other articles examine the bestsellers "Ordinary People" and "The Color…

Describes imaginative ways to teach "A Wizard of Earthsea," a fantasy novel by Ursula LeGuin, with teaching time limited to one hour a week for six weeks. (HOD)

An approach to teaching French literature that uses a Jules Verne novel published only in 1994 is described. The novel, "Paris in the 20th Century," is the basis for a series of written and oral exercises about the novel, its social and cultural context, the author, and the actual changes that have occurred in Paris in comparison with…

Chronicling a year-long project to study fantasy literature, this book presents essays, teaching units, student writing, and "jack tales." The project chronicled in the book consisted of a 3-week intensive study program for librarians and teachers of grades 2 through 7 throughout the Appalachian region, followed up by two more meetings…