Described are the Undergraduate Research Participation and Student-Originated Studies programs supported by the National Science Foundation. These summer programs offer undergraduate students firsthand research experiences in science and engineering. Students gain a better appreciation of the way science works and experiences in research…

Provides a series of guidelines for overcoming resistance and problems with cooperative projects in an introductory sociology course. These include coordinating common interests and common free time between team members, requiring allocation of various roles (presider, scribe, coordinator), and ongoing monitoring of the research teams. (MJP)

Describes a popular seventh-grade mathematics project that involves house plans. Students choose house plans from books, transfer the plan to grid paper, and stake out the floor plan on a vacant area of the neighborhood. Project includes designing dream homes, researching jobs to afford their homes, and discussion of real-life concerns. (PVD)

Describes a project where fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Wales School District (Wisconsin) simulated a political campaign as part of their social studies curriculum, using HyperStudio, ClarisWorks, and the Internet. Also discusses fund-raising activities and how the unit came about. (AEF)

Reviews the decades-old debate about the efficacy of student projects and learner controlled instruction and the role they play in authentic assessment. Argues that the shift to a postindustrial economy has given these methods renewed creditably and relevance. Discusses the impact that technological advancements have made. (MJP)

This year-long research project encourages student involvement, promotes a sense of mastery, involves the school community, and attempts to provide an incentive for senior Montessori students to continue learning. The curriculum describes the process of choosing a topic, researching, writing, editing, production of the final product, and the oral…

Provides a brief overview of salient facts to be incorporated into a lesson plan on Australia. Several lists contain interesting facts concerning geography, resource utilization, culture, and population. Includes suggested list of research/discussion topics and a list of annotated references. (MJP)

Describes how a Canadian teacher and her second and third graders developed a Web page using minimal technology. Discusses individual and collaborative writing projects, simple and cheap web file storage, HTML coding, hardware, hypertext links, multimedia projects, Internet connections, funding, student goals, motivation, audience response, and…

Described is a student-produced bulletin board that illustrates that mathematics is a universal language and that mathematics is being created around the world. Presented are two approaches for resolving a problem involving three equations and three unknowns. (KR)

Describes how the database software QUEST was used with 10- to 11-year-old students in London by utilizing a multidisciplinary, project-based approach. The collection, collation, and interpretation of data are emphasized, and areas of educational development that benefited are discussed, including language, self responsibility, and hypothesis…

Presents instructional activities that bring "real world" content to the study of World War II by elementary students. Includes experiential activities such as interviews, guest speakers, visits to war memorials, and reading fiction and biographies. Includes an "All-American Matching Exercise" emphasizing cultural pluralism. (CFR)

Discusses the motivation, implementation, and impressions of involving college students in written and oral field guide contributions in two geography classes. Concludes that students learn more from participating, obtain written and oral communication opportunities, and acquire self-esteem by using the approach. (CFR)

Reports on a collaborative effort between five graduate education students at the Citadel (Charleston, South Carolina) and the Berkeley County School District (South Carolina) in evaluating the district's in-school suspension programs. Comments from those involved in the project indicate that small, short-term projects between colleges and schools…

Presents a class project facilitated by a teacher who used his background in construction to teach students to build a house, during which process many geometric and measurement concepts were introduced or reinforced. Discusses importance of student responsibility and the vital cooperation between construction experts, materials suppliers, and…

Presents six teaching ideas from teachers in Foothills Schools, Alberta, Canada. Includes suggested activities on local government, computer uses in social studies, Canadian history, current events, and world studies. Provides models of a passport application, passports, and visas. (CFR)