A September 1991 National Council for Social Studies report urges that social studies instruction for middle school students should focus on developing young adolescents' self-esteem, personal ethics, democratic values, and concern for the larger world. These values are fostered by using experiential learning, interdisciplinary instruction,…

Presented are 38 environmental education activities for grades K-12. Topics include seed dispersal, food chains, plant identification, sizes and shapes, trees, common names, air pollution, recycling, temperature, litter, water conservation, photography, insects, urban areas, diversity, natural cycles, rain, erosion, phosphates, human population,…

Discusses how children's books can engage students in communicating mathematical ideas. Describes situations in which teachers use literature as a stimulus for thinking, listening, writing, speaking, and reading about mathematics. (12 references) (MDH)

Recounts how a fifth-grade class applied the extended case study strategy to study a regional environmental issue, the Timber Wolf Recovery Plan. Students wrote essays; identified involved players' positions, beliefs, and values; conducted a survey of local residents' beliefs and attitudes; and devised a plan of action. (MDH)

Presents a hands-on, exploratory science unit to study the biodiversity of the African tropical rain forest. Students study the vegetation, animal population, and human habitants of the forest. (MDH)

An activity in which students describe the worldwide geographic distribution of petroleum, identify and locate the countries that make up the Middle East, and name the countries that import oil to meet their domestic needs is presented. Discussion questions and answers are included. (KR)

Presents a whole language model for teaching social studies that is helpful to students learning English-as-a-Second-Language. Outlines whole-language principles, and provides a lesson plan that incorporates these principles. Points out that such principles draw upon student experiences. (NL)

Argues that student creative writing is stimulated by painting and other visual art. Describes a seven-step process in which students view painting and other visual arts and then write poetry. Includes suggested artworks and excerpts of poetry written by students. (CFR)

Uses space explorations to integrate learning activities in science, language arts, math, social studies, art, foreign language, and physical education. (PR)

Describes a collaborative action research project at the University of Glasgow (Scotland) which utilized class debates in an international management class to develop students' ability to assess their own and each other's learning. Evaluation suggests the debates enabled students to develop a critical view of the topics and acquire…

Asserts that literature-based social studies allow students to acquire a deeper grasp of the meaning and impact of social issues and historical events. Notes, however, that rhetoric about these positive effects is more prevalent than research. Recommends studying this kind of teaching in more detail. (MJP)

The 21st Century Schoolhouse Project is an international project involving six high schools from Israel, Japan, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, and the United States. The project includes English language, history, geography, and environmental science teachers and students working on environmental issues over the Internet while using English and…

Discusses the "Epic of Sundiata" which chronicles the rise of the Empire of Mali in the grasslands of northwestern Africa in the 13th century. This work is a compelling drama that bears comparison to such other hero tales as "The Iliad" and the Arthurian legend. Includes suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

There is a need to develop curriculum and materials on law-related topics better designed for business students planning a career in business. Except incidentally, business school legal faculty are not teaching future lawyers or paralegals. The world of the business practitioner is very different from that of the lawyer. For most business people…

In this article, the authors present a case study of preservice teachers engaged in service-learning in an after-school program while concurrently enrolled in science and language arts methods courses. Two interdisciplinary education faculty worked collaboratively to connect language arts and science methods content with service-learning…