According to recent research, secondary disciplinary teachers'(DTs) role in increasing disciplinary literacy skills is vital. The problem in this urban school district in the Southern United States was that middle school DTs acknowledge they struggle to integrate literacy strategies in their specific disciplines to improve reading outcomes on…

The ubiquitousness of images in the digital era highlights the importance of individuals' visual communication skills in the 21st Century. We conducted a literature review of visual literacy initiatives in academic institutions to illustrate best practices for imparting these skills in students. The literature review identified five categories of…

The acronym STEM--the teaching of science, technology, engineering, and math--now a familiar term in education, is evolving into STEAM--STEM plus "A" for art. Educational researcher Martin Storksdieck's studies have shown that infusing art into STEM allows for "a different way of perceiving and knowing and dealing with the world, as a means to…

There is a call for research on how to effectively foster cultural competence and a social justice advocacy orientation among counselor trainees. A multidisciplinary review of the literature reveals a body of anecdotal and empirical evidence in support of the use of pedagogical strategies grounded in critical theory to this end. Critical pedagogy…

The purpose of this participant-observation study is to describe rural, southern, 3rd-5th grade children's engagement in running and writing in an after-school learning community called "Running to Achieve." This study provides insights into links between physical activity and writing by using one to engage students in the other. Three…

Provides details of performances by the Floating Point Science Theater working with elementary school children about the characteristics of water. Discusses student reactions to various parts of the performances. (DDR)

Describes an art project used with kindergarten and first-grade students that focused on traditional African masks as part of a unit on the culture of West Africa. Discusses how the students created their clay masks. Includes lists of learning objectives and art materials. (CMK)

Examines some basic considerations in planning instruction that connect social studies, science, and mathematics using an exemplar unit to illustrate one approach. Provides an eight-step strategy for developing and teaching the integrated units. Concludes that the integrated approach increases both the quality and quantity of learning. (LS)

Discusses the teaching of jazz to fourth grade students and the use of the national standards. Addresses teaching music using an integrated arts approach. particularly in relation to teaching jazz. Includes a bibliography of jazz education resources and sample activities for lower-level and upper-level primary students. (CMK)

Provides outdoor homework assignments that are hands-on learning activities covering all academic areas and requiring very little material or expertise. Activities can be adapted for grades 1-6 and should be evaluated on the basis of effort, creativity, presentation, and the amount of information gathered. Contains 16 references. (DDR)

Addresses how examining music and art together highlights distinctive and interrelated elements of each. Explains that music and art activities help students work toward curricular goals; for example, Standards 8 and 4 of the National Standards for Music Education. Provides two activities designed to help elementary and middle-level children…

This paper aims to situate a research project in the context of the literature about writing, describe the goals and methods of the project, and present some empirical results from the initial stages of the project. Students in four schools were divided into an experimental group (N=43) and a control group (N=48). The experimental group received…

Describes a cooperative learning project with fourth-grade teachers and students. Discusses the K-W-D-L technique (what we know-what we want to know-what we did-what we learned) for mathematical problem solving. Concludes that having students write about their problem-solving experiences connects mathematics and communication skills and enhances…

Describes the Math Pals program which emphasized mathematics communication, allowed students to become active problem solvers with a pal in a different school, and gave students a multicultural experience. (JRH)

Focuses on the use of trade books in the social studies classroom. Presents different trade books on human rights, child laborers, and different cultures for use with intermediate grade students. Includes lesson ideas for each topic and provides unit culminating activities. (CMK)