On a hot July day in 1854, 24-year-old schoolteacher Elizabeth Jennings, accompanied by a friend, attempted to board a horse-drawn trolley to attend Sunday church services in Lower Manhattan. The Irish conductor refused, telling Jennings, who was African American, to await a horsecar for "her people." When Jennings resisted, the…

This activity is part of a larger set of activities and presentations developed by the Michigan Geographic Alliance to help teachers meet the proposed Social Studies standards in 6th and 7th grade. The Michigan Geographic Alliance website also has explanatory presentations, supplementary maps, and readings. In this 20-40 minute intermediate…

In the field of early childhood research children's mobility is usually discussed only in terms of physical activity in the preschool yard. More seldom is it discussed in terms of mobility practices and how young children move in public spaces. With unique detailed video-ethnographic data on mobile preschools and a new combination of theories on…

This activity is part of a larger set of activities and presentations developed by the Michigan Geographic Alliance to help teachers meet the proposed Social Studies standards in 6th and 7th grade. The Michigan Geographic Alliance website also has explanatory presentations, supplementary maps, and readings. In this 10-20 minute intermediate…

This study aimed to present an example activity in which the engineering design process was used. The activity was carried out in an out-of-school learning environment in 12 periods of 40 minutes. Twenty-four students who were in the 6th, 7th or 8th grade, participated in the activity. Students were presented with a design problem in which moving…

Interactive learning technology is an emerging innovation for future communication-aided teaching and learning that could positively enhance students' engagement and intrinsic motivation. Due to the virtue of interactive communication, classrooms are now anticipated to enable a variety of interaction-based learning technologies with diverse…

This Commentary posits the need to analyze how the energy/transportation, agricultural/food, and economic/political systems influence climate change through responding to literary "cli-fi" texts, place-based writing, visual representation of the effects of climate change, and drama activities.

In this article, we describe an adaptation of Nichols, Berry, and Kalogrides's "Hop on the Bus" exercise. In addition to riding the bus, we incorporated a visual component similar to that developed by Whitley by having students conduct a sociological, photographic exercise after they disembarked. Qualitative and quantitative assessment…

Persevering in problem solving and constructing and critiquing mathematical arguments are some of the mathematical practices included in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSI 2010). To solve unfamiliar problems, students must make sense of the situation and apply current knowledge. Teachers can present such opportunities by…

This feature article explores the topic of trains from their early history to recent trends in railroading. A glossary provides related vocabulary, a sidebar called "Romance of the Rails" adds colorful detail about train songs and railroad lore. An additional section, "Classroom Activities," by John Silver, presents three…

Despite its constitutional obligation of ensuring universal primary education, the Indian Government has not been able to find a way to educate its 18 million street children. It is widely accepted that the government lacks the capacity--financial, managerial and human resource--to provide meaningful education to those who are left out of the…

A teaching unit on transportation compares the costs of various modes of transportation--private automobile, bus, and bicycle--in terms of energy efficiency and air pollution. Class projects on transportation are suggested, along with sources of further information and a reading list for children. (PP)

A learning experience is described for upper elementary or junior high students involving the manufacture, transportation, and marketing of a product for consumers. Steps are given and roles are assigned for students to convert raw material (paper) to a finished product (paper airplanes) and to sell it. (AV)

Suggests a cost-of-living unit for business education classes which provides students with exercises that allow them to estimate the income gained from full-time work and examine the costs of independent living. The areas examined are employment, housing, transportation, food, child care, clothing, medical care, and savings. (CT)

Describes a method designed to teach the student of French how to obtain a train ticket. (AM)