Describes a project in which an inquiry approach to learning and teaching in an urban first-grade classroom resulted in a student-created database. Illustrates how computer integration in reading/language arts instruction caused students to participate more in group inquiry, using their individual abilities to contribute to group projects; it also…

Describes an innovative instructional technique for teaching the economic analysis of public policies. Teams of four to six students with different skills and different tasks work together as economic decision making units in a series of instructional simulations. Discusses implementation, activities, and assessment. (MJP)

Provides a rationale for using classical music as the basis of interdisciplinary units in elementary social studies. Recommends beginning with a series of humorous pieces to familiarize students with classical music. Includes many examples for utilizing pieces related to geography and history. (MJP)

Outlines a dozen alternative formats for oral book reports that can turn this often boring ritual into an engaging learning experience. These creative formats emphasize the inherently important concepts of the books and build in listener accountability through authentic assessment. The formats include creating comic books, mock trials, and…

Presents a lesson plan constructed around activities and materials concerning the National Park System. Activities include using maps and other geographic tools to acquire, process, and report information in spatial terms; discovering the physical and human characteristics of places; and interpreting how culture and experience influence…

Argues the usefulness of timelines for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade history instruction, contending that timelines reveal history's unfolding better than fact-recall techniques. Presents ways to use timelines, including autobiographical, large display, and manipulative timelines, and combining timelines with biographies. Suggests timelines help…

Recommends that writing teachers integrate word processing and revision strategies when teaching how to diagnose and correct structural writing problems. Presents exercises employing these methods in a first-year English composition course. Stresses the computer's ability to help students evaluate their writing, encouraging eventual independent…

Asserts that teachers should educate students to use historical research methods, even in the elementary and intermediate grades. Argues that, although history should be taught as a "story well-told," it should also be discovered, just as historians discover it in the course of their research. (CFR)

Contends that it is important for students to be motivated and well prepared for class units and activities. Describes a "previews of coming attractions" instructional strategy that uses advance organizers to increase information processing efficiency. Includes a sample unit outline illustrating this approach. (CFR)

Asserts that tolerance is a fundamental part of democracy. Presents a lesson plan to help students understand tolerance as it applies to homosexuality. Includes student objectives, step-by-step instructional procedures, and a student handout featuring Oregon's proposed minority status and Child Protection Act. (CFR)

Contends that student motivation is a major issue for all teachers but is of particular concern for middle school social studies teachers. Reports on an interview with 18 middle school teachers and 60 middle school students on the effectiveness of strategies designed to increase motivation. (CFR)

Contends that during the Great Depression the federal government gave the visual arts unprecedented support. Presents a classroom lesson on a public controversy regarding a Works Progress Administration sponsored mural in an Idaho city. Includes teaching suggestions, recommended topics for student projects, and four primary sources. (CFR)

Describes three computer-based lessons using constructivist learning principles. Includes a telecommunications lesson using an online vendor, an interactive video lesson on van Gogh's paintings, and a CD-ROM lesson on ancient lands. Includes figures depicting screens from all three lessons. (CFR)

Contends that many teachers find it difficult to teach about South Africa because of a lack of appropriate instructional materials. Recommends three novels and includes suggested learning activities for each. Also recommends and includes the use of photographs and quotes from South African leaders as instructional resources. (CFR)

Reports on research with preschool caregivers, primary grade teachers, and home caregivers of 605 young children on the role the visual arts play in early childhood education. Finds that parents and personnel at day care centers and nursery schools were sensitive to, and positive about, the role and significance of visual arts. (CFR)