Profiles a third-/fourth-grade thematic unit developed to introduce students to contemporary global society and its economic and environmental interdependence. The unit simulates a trip to foreign countries and integrates mathematics, music, art, and language. Various assignments are included in the student's portfolio. (MJP)

Utilizes one teacher's experience with the storyline technique to present a frank appraisal of the problems and opportunities inherent in this interdisciplinary method. Maintains that a comprehensive rethinking is needed in both the social studies curriculum and teacher education. (MJP)

Discovered that the introduction of piano keyboarding into elementary school music instruction produced a positive effect regarding children's sentiment towards school. No discernible effect was revealed concerning memory skills. Includes statistical data and description of survey questionnaires. (MJP)

Examines the effect of foreign language education on the basic skills of elementary school students. A group of third-grade students given three 30-minute Spanish language lessons per week performed as well as or better than a control group (given no second-language instruction) on academic achievement tests. (ER)

Discusses the planning and implementation of a middle school interdisciplinary learning project centered on Howard Fast's Revolutionary War novel, "The Hessian." Considers essential questions guiding unit planning and how these were used by teachers in different disciplines to construct educational experiences. (JPB)

This article describes the nature of the embedded language components of the postsecondary classroom and Landmark College's strategies to assist students with dyslexia, attention deficit disorders, and other language-based disabilities to develop the critical and abstract thinking, reading, writing and study skills that will enable them to…

Examined the teaching behaviors of 37 Mexican American mothers using an everyday task and a school-related task. Findings indicated that for the everyday tasks, mothers relied on various verbal utterances to guide their children to task completion, whereas for school-related tasks, they relied on nonverbal instructional behaviors. (TJQ)

Describes an investigation into the type of listening test that might serve as an assessment instrument of English language teachers as part of a teacher certification test--the Hong Kong English Language Benchmark Test. Highlights a case study where groups of preservice and inservice English language teachers were administered audio and video…

Part of the practicum curriculum for Children's Studies at Edith Cowan University, Australia, this program gives students field experiences in rural situations, which are especially relevant to the course's ecological approach. Describes some of the unique child care situations found in rural communities, and how students, staff, the university,…

A study investigated the effects of a 2-week summer institute that taught kindergarten and first-grade teachers (n=44) about learning disabilities and effective instruction, stressing the importance of explicit instruction in phonological and orthographic awareness. First-graders taught by trained teachers outperformed controls on phonological…

Discusses results of an action research project done in a Grade 4 classroom. Students were taught to provide verbal feedback on compositions written by their peers. Results suggest that elementary students were not only able to provide constructive peer feedback but also that they succeeded in improving the quality of their compositions after…

Essential components in second-language teaching include motivating students, teaching in the target language, using a language-management system, accepting interlanguage in the early stages, emphasizing vocabulary, teaching function and grammar, consulting Canada's National Core French Study to understand and deliver the latest programs, and…

A study of undergraduates found that grades, class year, focused academic library activities, informal faculty interaction, active course learning, and conscientious writing resulted in gains in critical thinking, suggesting that academic librarians should design library-research-skills courses to increase student-focused use of the library and…

Presents a series of activities using the Internet as a research source for studying the Spanish-American War. Each activity is designed to work with one of the seven multiple intelligences: intrapersonal, verbal/linguistic, musical/linguistic, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, and mathematical. Includes the lyrics to Bob…

Describes a qualitative action research study that investigated the effectiveness of an assignment for tenth graders that required primary research methods and an essay. Topics include authentic research; constructivist theory of learning; performance-based assessment; student journals; peer editing; teacher-librarian collaboration; and student…