Outlines a year-long project for students to create scrapbooks with reflective writings, monthly activities, special writings and projects, achievements, and social activities. Students bind and decorate the scrapbooks then share them with one another before school ends. (SM)

Describes how an eighth-grade teacher interested her students in reading and writing using cooperative learning and newspapers. During National Newspaper Week, students grouped into mixed ability clusters then completed weekly newspaper reading activities over the rest of the year. Team members agreed on role assignments and rotated…

A sixth grade teacher discusses how she enhanced student writing and thinking skills by having them collaborate on a class monster story. The article describes how they created the story. A copy of the story is included. (SM)

Children need to understand the role forests play in human life and ecology, and the competing claims of industry, recreationists, and conservationists for this resource. Class projects and discussion topics are suggested to bring these issues to life in the classroom. Other sources of information and children's books are also listed. (PP)

Discusses how to teach children about electricity via home projects involving electricity games. The concepts of circuits, conductors, and insulators are illustrated by having students build their own game boards. Instructions for making a telegraph and learning the Morse code are provided. (SM)

Lesson units on teaching young citizens about contemporary issues can be used to start class projects that explore how the communications media present information about national issues in different ways and for different purposes. Classroom activities are suggested. Reproducible worksheets and a list of information resources and books for…