Explicit pedagogy that focuses on visual design and composition principles can affect students' responses to and understanding, interpretation and analysis of images, as well as the creation of their own visual representations. This article considers the why, the what, and the how of teaching various visual elements of art and design to students…

Many parents, educators, and policy makers see great potential for leveraging tools like laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones in the classrooms of the world. Under budget constraints and shared access to equipment for students and teachers, the impacts have been irregular but hint at greater possibilities in 1:1 student computing settings.…

This comprehensive book offers a practical pathway for developing twenty-first-century skills while simultaneously strengthening content-area learning. "Digital Learning" contains a wealth of research-based practices to integrate the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) National Education Technology Standards (NETS) for both…

Describes how Anna Deveare Smith's "Fires in the Mirror" can be adapted for the secondary level language arts classroom. Describes a storytelling exercise, and then describes the six stages of the project as students adapted personal narrative for performance: theme; obtaining the interview; the peer-editing workshop; preparing for the…

Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature, new directions to explore, and ways to respond with greater depth to the books they read. (SR)

Describes how to develop a storytelling unit that will culminate in a festival in which all students can successfully participate and perform. Outlines the entire process, including research, "talk-abouts" and details, in-class activities to help students develop their tales, periodic evaluations, and the festival itself. (SR)

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 10 obstacles a teacher might encounter when incorporating technology into the classroom. Argues that with technology, like any other teaching strategy, teachers just need a few strategies that work for them, which they vary and adapt as needed. Lists some small, medium, and large projects using technology in the English classroom that…

The availability of 72 inexpensive (50 cents each) still cameras and 200 rolls of film (19 cents per roll) to 70 English teachers in Frederick County, Maryland, has provided the means of stimulating students to expand their understanding of the environment and to sharpen their communicative talents. Projects undertaken include the students' use of…

Describes a project for 7th graders that involves English and Texas history classes, and that includes 19th-century Texas history, several types of writing, and a great deal of creativity. (SR)

Argues that, especially in the intermediate grades, keying into students' personal interests is a powerful motivator for learning. Illustrates this with the story of a formerly excellent student who became disillusioned with school in fifth grade, becoming resistant and disruptive. Describes how a project approach to reading and writing that…

Intended to help teachers and others to think through their roles in assisting children to become more effective learners, this book focuses on the contribution which project studies can make to that objective. The book is divided into (1) "Types of Projects"'; (2) "Starting Out"; (3) "Relating Projects to Other…

Describes a year-long project for seventh graders that incorporates all aspects of language arts. Relates how the project culminates in a videotaped dramatic production of student writing. (MM)

Describes a number of class activities and student projects that the authors have used to teach the language and literature of peace in seventh- and eighth-grade reading and language arts classes, via theme-based units, interdisciplinary projects, and original theatrical student productions that celebrate language and literacy through the arts.…

Educational psychologists and researchers attest to the importance of play in learning, but studies indicate that children are playing less, and often less effectively, justifying the need for play within the school curriculum. The area of language arts is a natural place for imaginative play. One elementary school project incorporated playing,…