This comprehensive encyclopedia of children's literature for the lower grades aims to inspire teachers, librarians, and students to delve into picture books and find ways to integrate books into the curriculum. The encyclopedia offers information on themes, focus picture books, and author studies to help educators become familiar with specific…

The concept of whole language instruction is explained by means of examples from a kindergarten unit on the grocery store. Activities include visiting the supermarket, making stone soup, and creating a grocery store. Activities teach reading, writing, oral language, phonics, and word recognition. (DG)

Advocates synergistic pedagogy, in which all the school subjects are related and taught in such a manner that they are almost inseparable. Demonstrates how this might be done with an interdisciplinary theme on the stars. (SR)

This book, which uses nursery rhymes as its literature base, represents a non-threatening approach to beginning reading for children in kindergarten through grade 3. The book uses a variety of cross-curricular activities which are built around four familiar nursery rhymes. The book's introduction describes how each rhyme may be used over a 5-day…

Reader Pals is a cross-age, whole language, independent, daily reading program designed to supplement existing reading curricula and to enrich daily lessons. A younger child is paired with an older child for a year. Program planning and implementation are discussed, and activities based on a dinosaur theme are suggested. (IAH)

This article describes how a teacher at the Manitoba School for the Deaf applied Kaplan's Curriculum Differentiation Model for gifted and talented students to develop a thematic unit ("Patterns") for a grade 3 whole language classroom. (Author/DB)

A study elaborated a profile of four northeastern Ohio middle-grade teachers who incorporated whole language instruction into their classrooms. The overarching question investigated was how middle grade teachers proceeded to configure whole language instruction in their classrooms. Teachers for the study were selected based on their use of and…

This book is the third in a series of books for a literature-inspired curriculum for grades 1-3 organized around thematic units. The book's "story stretchers" are a means to extend children's enthusiasm for stories and to better connect children's books and teaching ideas with other areas of the curriculum. The book contains 18 units or…

Noting the importance of whole concept learning as opposed to fragmented non-meaningful facts, this paper presents a unit of study on animal habitats that is geared for a first-grade whole-language classroom in the later stages of the year. The major objective of the unit presented in the paper is for students to be able to identify the habitats…

With the current emphasis on whole language, the use of children's literature as the basis for reading instruction is widespread. Theme units have been suggested as one way to provide stimulating opportunities for children to explore and learn. Whole language based literature theme units emphasize process more than product. Units are designed to…

In this interview with a Florida kindergarten teacher, the whole language philosophy is used to help elementary students learn skills through ongoing reading and writing activities. Thematic units are used to encourage teacher facilitation and peer teaching. (DG)

This book employs a whole language-critical thinking approach to teaching reading, writing, listening, speaking, and thinking using Caldecott books (with their story-enhancing illustrations) as the literature base. The book uses 15 Caldecott books to model specific instructional strategies, critical thinking strategies, and extended language…

This curriculum unit is designed to give primary school students foreign language experiences and also to support the cultural literacy strand of the California State History-Social Science Framework. The unit is part of an elementary literature series which utilizes quality primary source literature from various world regions and countries and…

Presents a teacher's reflections on the need to know about, and talk with parents and other teachers about, the benefits of using a child development-based, whole language, thematic approach to teaching in the primary grades. (BB)

Exploring what it means for teachers to generate curriculum with their students and to share the responsibility and joys of deciding what and how students learn, this book describes teachers' own experiences in generating curriculum that integrates social studies, literacy, and whole language. The book presents practical ideas that teachers across…