Performance assessment with young children evolves naturally from activity-oriented teaching. Presents several guidelines for putting performance assessment methods into practice. (PR)

Describes a series of activities presented at the 1996 Annual Cultural Diversity Celebration. The activities are designed to provide teachers with ideas that focus on family values, traditions, and homes. These lessons teach children that values such as love, caring, justice, and respect for human dignity are universal. (MJP)

Examines what children learn from using educational technology in an informal, collaborative environment. Explores how mastering educational computer programs can promote problem-solving transfer. Studies at three after-school computer clubs reveal children who use educational software may learn content knowledge about computer literacy,…

Presents seven examples of integrating language arts into the curriculum through the use of community connections: (1) exploring curriculum with themed instruction; (2) promoting discussion; (3) using oral language; (4) introducing "found poetry"; (5) writing across the curriculum; (6) sharing an interpretive reading activity in a readers'…

Describes two projects--CyberFair and Community Share--in which schools share resources, establish partnerships, and students work together to publish information about their communities on the Internet. Discusses learning objectives, classroom discussion, student research, educational benefits, peer review, and announcing contest winners.…

Studied kindergarten children's emergent motivation to read and write, its relation to developing concepts of reading and writing, and it relation to their teachers instructional goals and classroom norms. Findings extend understanding of how young children's literacy motivation influences, and is influenced by, their classroom literacy culture.…

Describes a project where students build their own catapults and modify them to solve four problems. Suggests the unit be integrated with a social studies unit on the Middle Ages. (PR)

Presents six curriculum guides for art, reading/language arts, science, and social studies. Each guide identifies library media skills objectives, curriculum objectives, grade levels, print and nonprint resources, instructional roles, activities and procedures for completion, evaluation, and follow-up. (AEF)

A high school biology teacher studied the use of both competitive and noncompetitive games in classroom learning. Students were surveyed to find out how they felt about the games and what they learned from them. Results indicated that games helped students improve self-esteem, peer relationships, and learning. Competition provided motivation but…

Reviews teachers' resources related to people and places. Most of these focus on the identification of geographic locations and historical biographies of famous individuals or groups of people. Includes discussions of reference works, audio cassettes, activity kits, and fiction. (MJP)

Presents a simple, yet effective method for drawing a world map that helps younger students remember the continents, oceans, and major seas. The only materials required are a ruler, paper, and a world map (a transparency would work best). Includes suggestions for related activities and ways to improve map skills. (MJP)

This instructional design blends a structured learning environment (the physics lesson) with an engaging, playful, simulated environment (roller coaster construction), putting into operation ideas from both cognitive and constructivist theories. Two instructional models are used: a general design model for creating instruction and a lesson design…

Provides five fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in reading, language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics. Library media skills, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are describes for each activity. (LRW)

A 2-year study examined 3 children's learning experiences during the transition from kindergarten to first grade. Narrative accounts offer each child's perspective of life in each grade. Factors making the transition period easier included: visiting the first grade classroom, developing friendships, and family support. Negative factors included:…

Describes a case study of Finnish elementary school students that investigated their sociocognitive processes in a multimedia-based science learning task. Discusses students' strategic activity and social interaction while using a multimedia CD-ROM science encyclopedia and suggests that more attention should be paid to instructional design and…