This column includes activities inspired by children's literature. When learning about a topic, scientists refer to documents from past researchers. This month's trade books include nonfiction and historical fiction selections that help to demonstrate similarities and differences "then and now" while incorporating engineering design…

Described is an exercise that will help college-level psychology students learn abstract and relational thinking skills. The exercise will provide students with a new way to handle compare-and-contrast questions. (RM)

Senior high social studies students discuss how people who lived during the Great Depression viewed the future and then, coming back to the present, predict how 13 new industrial inventions of today may affect life a hundred years from now. (RM)

A prospectus and practical guide, this manual shows college teachers how to help students better understand social problems by comparing sociology with two other types of social knowledge (common sense and journalism) and cultivate critical thinking skills which transcend the three types of social knowledge. Chapter 1 proposes a teaching/learning…

In this learning activity senior high social studies students examine and discuss specific parts of the Soviet Constitution and learn that there is often a big difference between theory and reality. (RM)

Compares the effectiveness of two types of classroom vocabulary instruction with a noninstruction type homework assignment. (FL)

Presents a learning activity in which secondary students read about and analyze the legal institutions of an African tribe called the Ibo. Students compare the Ibo's precolonial system of resolving disputes with the U.S. system. (AM)

Argues that students often memorize, without critical analysis, components and processes of subjects in the sociology curriculum. Suggests that using cross-cultural, comparative material is a means of stimulating the critical energy of students, and subverting the tendency toward uncritical acceptance of factual "nuts and bolts." (DB)

In this article, the author describes how he created an approach that he terms "Mathematics as a Second Language" (MSL) for teaching ELL students mathematics. The main components of MSL are vocabulary activities, journals, group work, and projects. He used MSL to teach prealgebra to ELL students, as well as to native English speakers, for two…

Designed for use in the high school curriculum, two lessons introduce students to contemporary issues surrounding the American jury system and to political, legal, and economic systems of other countries. Although intended for use with a filmstrip, cassette, computer software, and a computer instructional manual, activities in the teaching guide…

Reports on two common views of learning styles, and presents a set of activities to show how curriculum can reflect each learning style. Discusses a method for accommodating all learning styles. (MM)

Provides a school library media activity for elementary grades using the "Guinness Book of World Records" in print and CD-ROM format. Lesson objectives, librarian preparation required, student activities, and evaluation are included. (EAM)

The 12 lessons in this collection are designed so that they may be used individually, integrated into the curriculum at appropriate places, or used as a complete unit. The lessons are entitled: (1) Impressions of Germany and Germans; (2) The Location and Population of Germany; (3) Pollution in Germany: A Complex Problems; (4) German Political…

This teaching guide contains 20 activities for students in grades 6-9 on the topic of conflict in Northern Ireland. These materials can be adapted to lower and higher grade levels. Objectives are to examine the conflict in Northern Ireland, to discern ways a conflict escalates and can be peacefully solved, and to compare the perceptions of the…

This three-part unit on the history of Chinese-American relations is intended for use with secondary students. Each of the three segments of the program requires about one hour of teaching time. Objectives of the unit are to help students: (1) become aware of the problems of cultural barriers and cultural stereotypes as illustrated through the…