Constructivism is somewhat opposite of a mandated curriculum. It does not emphasize testing to ascertain pupil achievement. Nor is it a teacher determined reading curriculum. A formal reading curriculum with measurably stated objectives would not harmonize with constructivist thinking. Flexibility is a key concept in describing, in part, its basic…

Pupils need to express themselves in creative processes and products in the language arts curriculum. Too frequently, teachers require behavior which involves conformity on the part of learners. Specific objectives many times delimit pupils' opportunities to express original ideas that come from within the involved learners. Many activities can…

Writing must receive major emphasis in teaching-learning situations. There are important differences between creative endeavors and those that involve role learning and exact answers. Creativity emphasizes the novel, the unique, the original, and the open-ended. Creativity should stress writing across the curriculum, and should involve reading and…

Pupils should develop a thorough appreciation for poetry. Poetry may be correlated with different curriculum areas in elementary schools, such as science, math, and health. Students can be introduced to various poetic forms, such as couplets, triplets, limericks, haiku, and free verse. Teachers should encourage experimentation and novel ideas in…

The reading teacher needs to gather information on the many ways to emphasize student comprehension and application in the reading curriculum. Tenets from educational psychology need to be followed in teaching and learning situations to assist students to achieve as much as individual abilities permit. This paper cites 10 things that the teacher…

Rural school students need ample opportunities to engage in creative writing, particularly the writing of poetry. A student teacher and a cooperating teacher in a rural fifth-grade classroom (with 12 students) guided the students in the writing of limericks by starting out with couplets, then triplets, and then limericks. The teacher had clearly…

The background experiences of the rural student provide a wealth of ideas that can be expressed through poetry writing. Poetry forms which can be taught in the language arts class, or throughout the curriculum are: (1) the couplet, which contains two lines with ending words rhyming; (2) the triplet, which contains three lines with all ending words…

Describes how some student teachers and cooperating teachers guided pupils in learning phonics through a study of rhyming poetry. Discusses class activities involved in teaching couplets, triplets, imagery in poetry, quatrains, alliteration, limericks, and onomatopoeia, and the rhyme and phonics elements involved. (SR)

Pupils should participate in numerous forms and kinds of writing activities involving poetry and should hear, read, and write different forms and kinds of prose. Types of poetry that pupils can write include couplets, triplets, quatrains, limericks, free verse, haiku, and diamante. The ingredients that all types of poetry might have include…

Reading and writing are interrelated. What has been read provides material for writing. This paper focuses on reading endeavors that provide subject matter for writing. The paper first recommends reading poetry to the class and states that the teacher should have ready for use an anthology of children's literature. Children can write poems for…

Hearing poetry read aloud should help pupils to achieve feelings of being relaxed and reenergized. Poetry might help pupils to achieve vital objectives in reading. Phonics instruction could become an inherent part of the reading of poems. For example, a student teacher and a cooperating teacher introduced pupils to a unit on "Poetry with…

Writing, one of the three r's, must receive major emphasis in teaching-learning situations. Writing should permeate all curriculum areas. Both practical and creative writing need adequate emphasis. The student should be involved in selecting objectives, learning opportunities, and appraisal procedures. The writing teacher then becomes a guide,…

Considers how the principal has a leading responsibility in improving the school curriculum. Discusses how the principal has a vital role in assisting teachers to help each pupil become the best reader possible. Presents several ways that principals can help teachers improve reading instruction. (SC)

There are many learning opportunities in the science curriculum which emphasize creativity. Learning opportunities are described in this paper which involve: (1) problem solving experiences; (2) poetry reading and writing; (3) prose and its applications in creative endeavors; (4) art work as creativity in science; (5) creative dramatics and famous…

Connecting reading and writing has become an important trend in teaching the language arts. Poetry, as a salient facet of the reading curriculum, integrates well with different purposes in writing. Poetry read aloud to students can assist learners to enjoy reading activities and develop the feeling and aesthetic dimension of learning, among other…