This digest offers guidelines in providing challenging reading opportunities for gifted students. Research findings concerning the characteristics of the gifted child as reader (e.g., they read earlier, better and more) are noted. Specific needs of gifted learners can be met by: using literature as a supplement to the readings in basal texts;…

This digest is intended to guide parents and teachers in helping children deal with the attacks of September 11, 2001 through the use of literature. It begins with suggestions, guidelines, and strategies which parents and teachers can use to help children deal with the tragedy, and it discusses the role of literature in helping children at a time…

This Digest guides the elementary teacher in choosing accurate and appropriate works of fiction for teaching about Japan. It suggests important content to watch for and includes a checklist of questions to be used when selecting a book. The questions deal with literary qualities, accuracy, authenticity, stereotyping, language, and morals. Contains…

Arguing that schools need to prepare all children to become competent citizens and to create an environment that fosters mutual understanding, this Digest discusses multicultural children's literature in the elementary classroom. It discusses the importance of multicultural children's literature and presents guidelines for selecting multicultural…

This digest discusses various ways in which literature can be incorporated with world geography to make better connections across the curriculum. Reasons to use a literature-based approach to teach geography include: (1) there is a natural link between geography and literature; (2) the study of literature improves comprehension of geography; and…

Despite periodic efforts, traditional social studies teaching methods continue to be used in grades K-6. Research suggests that elementary students do not like or value social studies when these traditional methods are used to organize and teach its content. The goals of the social studies curriculum in grades K-6 are to transmit citizenship…

Noting that it is only within the last decade that schools have begun to identify ways to optimize language use to promote higher level thinking, this ERIC Digest focuses on developing thinking skills in reading. The digest discusses the impetus for critical reading, the use of children's literature as a tool for teaching thinking skills, a…

This digest considers approaches to langugae arts teaching that are based on mythic or archetypal ways of experiencing and knowing. The Digest argues that such approaches address students' inner lives more directly than do the usual instructional methods such as whole language or student-centered instruction, and thus can help to promote…

This digest is intended to help and inform those teachers who are contemplating using children's literature to teach reading, and provides a brief review of material in the ERIC database on literature-based reading instruction. The digest includes sections on recent research, basic resources, assessing literature based reading, diverse methods…

This ERIC Digest examines: (1) research related to the teaching and learning of history in elementary schools; (2) purposes of education in history; and (3) teaching practices to develop interest in and knowledge of history among students in elementary schools. Levstik (1986) stated that social studies educators should apply the techniques of…

Picture books are useful tools for teaching many abstract and complex concepts of the social studies at the elementary level. They allow students to develop visual literacy through sustained viewing time necessary for exploration, critique, and reflection on the images portrayed. Numerous examples of picture books are presented to support such…

Civic education "means explicit and continuing study of the basic concepts and values underlying our democratic political community and constitutional order" (Butts 1988, 184). It draws its content chiefly from four disciplines: political science, jurisprudence, history, and economics. Political science and jurisprudence provide an…

Problem solving is often identified as a goal of science education. What is considered problem solving varies from teacher to teacher. The ultimate goal of problem-solving education has been identified as a means of helping students develop higher-order thinking skills. This ERIC digest focuses on problem solving in secondary school science as…

Noting that the terms "Native American" and "American Indian" are both legitimately used to refer to the indigenous people of North America, this digest identifies stereotypes about Native Americans that children gain from media portrayals and classroom role playing, and suggests strategies for teachers to use to counter…

Entrepreneurship, or small business ownership, is an increasingly attractive option to young people and adults (including low-income populations, at-risk youth, and women) who are striving to find careers that are exciting to them and offer the potential for personal and financial success. Entrepreneurs must be self-starters, innovative, willing…