Research documents that the arts boost learning, build confidence, and motivate students to participate in class. How do we keep the performing arts alive in this era of increased accountability and decreased funding? Rekha S. Rajan sets the stage for a creative and practical solution with detailed, concrete examples of how to integrate the…

The child population in the United States is rapidly changing and diversifying--in large part because of immigration. Today, nearly one in four US children under the age of 18 is the child of an immigrant. While research has focused on the largest of these groups (Latinos and Asians), far less academic attention has been paid to the changing Black…

This comprehensive, reader-friendly text demonstrates how personal connections can be incorporated into social studies education while meeting standards of the National Council for the Social Studies. Praised for its wealth of strategies that go beyond social studies content teaching--including classroom strategies, pedagogical techniques,…

Based on the philosophy that children learn best in functional, natural settings when a desire for learning persists, this book provides classroom-tested strategies for teaching children how to monitor and improve their own comprehension as they read a variety of texts. The goal of the book is to empower students to become successful, independent…

History instruction must serve, above all else, to develop critically important citizenship knowledge, skills, and values. This book aims to blend recent scholarship on teaching U.S. history for citizenship with ideas on how to achieve this mission in grades K-5. Chapters in the book are: (1) "Teaching History for Citizenship in the Elementary…

Teachers and principals need help in combating antisocial behaviors in the classroom. This book shares the key components of "Essential Character Discipline," a positive behavior program designed to help students learn integrity, courtesy, loyalty, respect, perseverance, honor, and self control. The book contains the tools needed to…

Character education is the hinge upon which academic excellence, personal achievement, and true citizenship depend. This volume provides guidance for educators who wish to help children forge good character. Its seven chapters create a blueprint for integrating character education into the curriculum. Chapters include (1) "Character…

The purpose of this handbook is to help make teaching and learning more effective, interesting, and exciting. The book is one in a series which provides practical, classroom tested strategies, approaches, and student activities for the elementary classroom. "Developing Individual Values in the Classroom" contains definitions, value discovery…

Intended for classroom teachers, this book suggests some approaches to assessing children's language, describes some practices, and advises teachers of some of the problems in child language assessment. Chapter one provides illustrations of assessing child language usage, including looking at a piece of writing, administering a reading test,…

Teaching science means doing science and involves three elements: knowing content, knowing children, and teachers knowing themselves as teachers and learners. The authors describe principles and requirements that reflect National Science Education Standards for the active learning of science. They identify key ingredients for primary students and…

Offering an alternative to traditional language arts methods textbooks, this collection of 20 essays by master teachers is grouped into 4 main sections. Following an introduction, essays in the book are: (1) "Walter" (Vivian Gussin Paley); (2) "Children Become Writers: A Conversation with Two Teachers" (Cyndy Hoffman and Carol…

Designed for teachers of kindergarten through grade 6, this book contains practical and innovative ideas on fostering literacy generated from discussions with teachers from the United States and Canada, visits to their classrooms, and observations of their interactions with students. The book addresses all levels of learner-centered literacy…

This collection of articles abnout gifted and talented preschool and elementary students begins with background information on the program and philosophy for young students at the Center for Talented Youth at Johns Hopkins University (Maryland). The following articles are then presented: "Some Thought for Parents of Very Young Gifted…

This book is a detailed account of the effects of parental involvement in a literacy project on Latino children's academic performance, addressing methods of parent participation, home literacy uses by children, and the nature of school experiences. The first two chapters provide family literacy and Intergenerational Literacy Project background…

The making of a book is an effective way to instill pride in authorship and to emphasize the importance of writing to children. This guide finds that the finished product (the book) capitalizes on the language background of each child, becomes an extension of the natural language of children, and teaches children to value their work and to take…