Suggestions are made for activities that combine the teaching of math and science. Math concepts include: graphing, estimating, measurement, statistics, geometry, and logic. Science topics include: plant reproduction, solar system, forces, longitude and latitude, Earth's magnetic field, nutrition, and heat. (IAH)

Strategies for choosing themes for theme teaching include limiting subject areas, integrating skills, balancing teacher- and student-generated themes, avoiding cutsey activities, drawing from various arenas, avoiding overly long themes, avoiding yearlong or schoolwide themes, understanding the themes, repeating themes, and borrowing themes from…

"Alpha-Pets" are the focal point of an integrated, multidisciplinary curriculum. Each pet is featured for a week in a vocabulary-rich story and introduces related activities beginning with the featured letter, such as the four food groups during Freddie Fish's week or universe during Ulysses Unicorn's week. (MT)

A classroom stamp collection can be used to motivate students in social studies, language arts, science, art, and geography. Tips on how to obtain stamps and develop a curriculum that focuses on many subjects are offered. (DF)

This poetry workshop has students read Monica Gunning's poem about her childhood in Jamaica, create lists of what they want to know more about, search for and share the information, then find poems from other parts of the world. The Gunning poem and lists of resources are included. (SM)

Outdoor learning activities often cause problems in class control. Organizing children into game-playing activities that emphasize ecological and biological themes helps reinforce learning with play. Several activities are described. (DF)

Describes how the combined effort of the History, English, and Art departments helped students to create an exhibit that invited all students to stop, look, and learn. (RB)

Presents suggestions for helping elementary teachers learn students' names and helping students feel comfortable in the first week of school while studying mathematics skills related to graphing and data. The activities involve graphing students' names and reading a children's book then creating mathematics activities out of the lead character's…

Discusses the advantages of an interdisciplinary curriculum, especially in elementary school. Implementing interdisciplinary curriculum units helps children acquire targeted concepts and skills of various disciplines more effectively. Existing curriculum, current events, and student concerns are the places to find interdisciplinary unit ideas. (SM)

Presented are ideas for eight environmental and conservation education programs, many of which span grade levels and skill areas. For each program described, there is a person listed to contact for additional information. (KC)

Presents two activities for teaching elementary level mathematics by immersing students in worthwhile literature (the Hello Math Reader series) while introducing them to real-life mathematics. The primary level activity teaches students to use number relationships to solve math riddles. The intermediate level activity has students explore…

Studying about stellar constellations provides children with an opportunity to learn about ancient myths and mathematics at the same time. An interdisciplinary teaching unit combines information about myths associated with the zodiac signs and instructions for plotting the coordinates of stars. (PP)

Discusses the life and paintings of Vincent van Gogh, focusing on "The Road Meanders," and describes how to teach students through the painting (e.g., analyzing colors, discussing feelings it evokes, and writing poems that speak to the people in the painting). A copy of the painting is included. (SM)

Puppets provide simple, effective ways to connect social studies and language arts, promote cooperation, and teach about other cultures. The article describes how to make puppets and presents two elementary-level puppet activities. One teaches cultural values using puppets as storytellers; the other explains how to create a puppet play. (SM)

Presents literature-based activities that take division off the workbook pages and place it in situations to which children can relate. The activities help students understand division, devise strategies, and solve problems in context. Both activities involve reading stories then using division to solve real-life problems for story characters. (SM)