Recognising the duty placed on all teachers by the 2010 Equality Act to nurture the development of a society in which equality and human rights are deeply rooted, Helen Snelson and Ruth Lingard were prompted to ask whether their history curricula really reflected the diverse pasts of all people in society. After making a commitment to include more…

Presents guidelines for developing thematic units for primary students (pick broad-based themes, gather resources, avoid time traps, let student interests guide the themes, create interactive bulletin boards, and organize materials). The article offers ideas, activities, and experiences for beginning a color unit and maintaining thematic teaching…

Compulsory Greek education has long shown its need for revision. The Greek Pedagogical Institute (GPI) has presented the cross-thematic approach as a panacea, yet further changes are necessary in terms of experiential learning, school subject demarcation, teaching time management, teaching material, and the student/educator role. This article…

This paper explores the use of conceptual themes as a framework for interdisciplinary studies with gifted students. Describes sample themes and suggested student products, as well as guidelines for brainstorming, planning activities, facilitating production, and evaluating student products. (PB)

Describes how Michigan's English Language Arts Assessment (ELA) takes parts of the old fifth-grade writing assessment and fourth-grade reading tests, adds new elements, and wraps everything around a theme. Presents a seven-step activity to help prepare fourth graders for the ELA. Concludes that the overall impact on scores is not known. (SG)

Outlines general steps in designing a literature-based thematic unit: selecting a theme, determining unit length, identifying concepts, locating resources, brainstorming and sequencing class activities, and planning for evaluation. Presents a planning chart and a sample unit for elementary grades developed around the theme of life in the rural…

Discusses use of monthly themes to making "sharing time" a central part of the preschool and primary curriculum. Reading picture books, sharing songs, and planning classroom activities are used to integrate the themes into all curricular areas. Discusses the developmental appropriateness of this practice and presents two examples of…

Teaching a diverse population of adolescents to be writers, readers, and active citizens requires fundamental changes in curriculum development, teaching strategies, and student roles in the classroom. In this article, two educators report on their collaboration in an urban high school in Portland, Oregon, USA, to create a classroom where students…

Even with appropriate curriculum materials, teachers need to employ reflective springboards that cause learners to link Holocaust information and personal stories to the students' in-school and out-of-school realities and to issues in community life. The guide provides five activities that are intended to be used in any sequence and for any class.…

Discusses the picture books of Leo Lionni and describes how Vivian Gussin Paley, a Chicago elementary school teacher, used his books for an entire year's curriculum in her kindergarten class. Highlights include children's engagement with literature, and other learning activities based on the books. (LRW)

Based on the premise that viewing the curriculum holistically enriches the instructional practices of teachers and adds depth and meaning to children's school experiences, this guide is intended to: (1) encourage teachers who have doubts about using literature in their content area classes; (2) support those presently using literature to teach;…

This paper investigates the thematic study approach in theory and practice as it applies to the elementary grades, specifically to third grade. Part 1 defines the theme study approach and explains the theories and assumptions that support it as a viable approach to teaching and learning. Part 2 examines research supporting the thematic approach.…

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in nutrition, reading and language arts, science, and social studies. Each activity identifies library media skills, objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, activity and procedures for completion, evaluation, and…

The seven thematic units in this guide focus on communication skills, offering English teachers contemporary plans for teaching writing, listening, reading, reasoning, critical thinking, and appreciation of literary genres. The units were selected for their humanistic approaches to student language learning, combining English instruction with…

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in reading, language arts, science, and social studies. Library media skills, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)