This article explores how Ms. Ford, a first-grade teacher, integrated literary tools to engage students in higher-level thinking and meaning making. Through the use of teacher talk, eliciting responses, asking for clarity, and expanding on student responses, she utilized discourse to support students in making meaning. Ms. Ford's first-grade…

As elementary students progress from "learning to read" toward "reading to learn," it is vital that they become strategic readers. A strategic reader is one who understands when and how to use a strategy in order to comprehend text. While some students use strategies naturally during the reading process, most students must be taught how to…

The communication skills of reading and writing go hand in hand with science as natural partners for fostering students' understandings of the world. The similarities that exist between reading and writing strategies and science-process skills add depth to instruction when these subject areas are brought together. In the following unit of study,…

Described are activities using ants. Ant hunting, a list of books on the topic, information, and ant farming are included. The procedures for assembling and maintenance of an ant farm are presented. (KR)