Describes an activity used with a fifth-grade mathematics class in which students solved a problem and wrote a convincing argument to prove their solution made sense. (SR)

Describes a project in a fifth-grade classroom that uses dialog to teach students expository writing and research reports. Describes how students worked together using all four language modes to explore a topic. (SR)

Teachers have allowed the social studies and science areas of instruction to become isolated from vibrant language arts skills, resulting in deficiencies in reading and writing skills within the different content areas. An 8- to 10-week biography unit was developed for a fourth-grade social studies course in an attempt to give students a stronger…

Written for students in grades 3 and up, this book helps students write or present a report that will make a lasting impression. It offers detailed information on choosing interesting topics, using resources, taking effective notes, creating outlines, writing paragraphs, revising and editing, and publishing or presenting a report flawlessly.…

Suggesting that poetry can be inserted into any classroom in any curricular area, this paper discusses reading and writing poetry in middle school classrooms. The paper begins with advice on reading poetry in content classrooms, and then presents a 31-item bibliography of poetry sources "for browsing." The paper then presents tips for writing…

A multi-year study examined whether elementary school students can engage in historical thinking in a meaningful way, and what kind of writing activities best serve this purpose. Subjects were 17 students of varying language proficiency levels selected as the focus of research from the entire class of 31 primarily Hispanic and African-American…

A study examined the extent to which literacy tasks were emphasized within a fourth-grade social studies classroom. Subjects, 21 fourth-grade students and their teacher at a private K-8 elementary school located in an urban area of the east, were observed over a 7-week period as they conducted a thematic unit on liberty. Data included audiotapings…

Presents an extended classroom activity in which students explore relationships, organize information, and make generalizations about geography and the world around them. Includes writing assignments and examples of student work. Provides suggestions for extending the activity. (CFR)

Asserts that, although middle school students have rudimentary map skills, they typically dismiss old maps as worthless. Describes the use of outdated and inaccurate maps as instructional resources in social studies courses. Concludes that the approach was valuable and helped students learn about the concept of change over time. (CFR)

This book is a collection of essays by full-time classroom teachers who describe their efforts to implement the vision of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standards documents and to empower their students in mathematics. Chapter 1, "Students' Conceptions of Mathematics and the Challenge of the Standards" (Dorothy Buerk),…

Presents a learning activity to help students see themselves as part of the historical process. Describes the nine-week project in which students solicit written or oral remembrances of family, local, and national history. Maintains that the project integrated history and writing in a meaningful way for students. (CFR)