Young people are surrounded by visual images, and they naturally are drawn to viewing and creating videos. Educators are remiss if they do not seize on this significant communication and learning tool. Similar to projects involving writing, video projects allow students to communicate their ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Therefore, most…

Describes the Students as Authors Project, a schoolwide project that entails writing, illustrating, and publishing books of all genres by children for children. (SR)

The article describes a project in which gifted seventh and eighth graders developed a brochure about child abuse for children. The students distributed their brochure across the country, produced a play, and agitated for greater visibility for the child abuse hotline telephone number. (DB)

Described is a newspaper project in which elementary students report life as it was in the Middle Ages. Students are involved in a variety of language-centered activities. For example, they gather and evaluate information about medieval times and write, edit, and proofread articles for the newspaper. (RM)

Discusses the educational uses of digital cameras and describes a fourth grade project that created a computerized yearbook. Lists available digital cameras, including prices; describes benefits, including speed; and explains negative aspects, including cost of the cameras and computer hardware and software requirements. (LRW)

Recommends a variant of desktop publishing for classroom publishing of newsletters, school newspapers, and class-compiled and individually authored books, taking writing beyond traditional classroom contexts with teacher as sole audience. Promotes cut-and-paste production using whatever computers and software are available as expedient and…

Discusses the Young Authors Program, a program sponsored by the Greater Boston Reading Council, which encourages teachers to help students create original illustrated bound books. (MM)

Describes the production of a local history magazine by two advanced twelfth-grade English classes. Discusses difficulties encountered during the project, and offers practical suggestions for teachers considering such a project. (SV)

Two seventh and eighth grade teachers, trained in the Foxfire approach, describe class projects related to their rural school's 50-year history--oral history interviews with former students and teachers and the local historian, writing a book of school reminiscences, and organizing a school reunion. (SV)

Discusses the benefits of using oral history in social studies. Describes the process of oral history projects by discussing (1) how to introduce oral history to the students, (2) preparation for the project, (3) organizing and evaluating the research, and (4) publishing an oral history. Considers a variation on oral history. (CMK)

This issue of "Hands On" compiles edited papers and workshop presentations from the national conference on cultural journalism and experiential learning projects in the Foxfire mode. The conference brought together 200 teachers, students, and professionals and offered technical workshops, presentation workshops about specific programs,…

Undergraduate-level student research benefits both faculty and students, but the scarcity of public/private funding and loss of National Science Foundation (NSF) support are clouding the outlook. (Author/JN)

Examined is the successful grant proposal by Bush School of Salem, Oregon, in which fifth and sixth graders researched, wrote, edited, and published a book about Chief Quinaby. The project bolstered student self-esteem and made learning come alive through real-life experience. An excerpt from the book is included. (SI)

Describes a project for composition classes in which groups of five to six students conceive, write, design, print, and bind a book of their writings. Discusses methodology, defining form and content of the books, offering guidance, use of in-class time, evaluation, grading, and the results. Notes that the quality of student writing dramatically…

States that the daily newspaper holds an important place in society although it has experienced increased competition from the electronic media market. Contends that schools need to transmit media competencies, explaining that a newspaper project is an ideal means for imparting media competencies since students are acquainted with this medium.…