When children play, they often create a mess, but what a beautiful mess it is! "Creating a Beautiful Mess" describes the ten most important play experiences all children enjoy and how these experiences support learning, creativity, and social connections. These broad categories of play include building with blocks, pretending and make…

The opinions of second language learning (L2) theorists and researchers are divided over whether to use authentic or simplified reading texts as the means of input for beginning- and intermediate-level L2 learners. Advocates of both approaches cite the use of linguistic features, syntax, and discourse structures as important elements in support of…

Suggests that the socialization of children works against their creativity. Argues that increasing children's exploratory opportunities results in raising the likelihood of new discoveries. Concludes that the establishment of a structure for fostering creativity is a key factor in promoting child development. (SG)

Presents a geometric discovery involving the use of a trapezoid as a base for a pyramid. Includes reproducible student worksheet to be used as a group-discovery exercise. (MKR)

The problem of determining the number of squares having vertices at pegs on geoboard is considered. (DT)

A beech leaf, garnet crystals, trilobite fossils--brought by children aged three to twelve transform the science room. Investigates the importance of learning materials that children bring to the classroom at no expense. (Author/RK)

Provides some brief suggestions for teaching students about color, including an activity for use during outdoor field trips or in local parks. Questions for provoking student explorations of color mixing and the functions of color in nature are provided, which use the scientific method as a model for structuring student observations. (PB)

Teachers of an integrated elementary classroom used cookie-sharing time as a learning experience for students. Responsible for dividing varying amounts of cookies daily, the students learned to translate their experiences to graphs of differing sophistication and analyses. Further interpretation and application were done by individual students…

Discusses competencies necessary for structuring teaching-learning environments (data, stimuli, and strategies) in objective-referenced or criterion-referenced instruction. Teaching competencies (behaviors) listed are pointed toward music instruction, but are applicable for all subject areas. (Author/AH)

Describes a history unit in which secondary students use the mysteriously carved Champlain's Rock (near Renfreu, Ontario) as a starting point for inquiry into the evidence of the French exploration of Eastern Canada. Students learn about hypothesis formation and testing, frames of reference, bias and prejudice, and they write two essays. (AM)

A method for teaching the product rule of differentiation in calculus is described. (MK)

This activity involved constructing parallelograms on the sides of an arbitrary triangle and discovering a relationship between the areas of the parallelograms. (MP)

Designed as a follow-up activity for gifted and talented classes that have been using learning centers, this contract directs students in building their own learning centers. Six sections cover choosing a subject, researching, setting objectives for the learning center, developing activities for the center, writing directions and collecting…

This is the second "Center Spot" devoted to Jan Hoffman's "Shoe Box Science," a program that organizes manipulative materials so that children can identify, describe, order, construct, name and distinguish on their own.

Outlines a course designed to teach students how to write descriptive and informative abstracts. (HOD)