Uses the artwork of Color Field painter, Helen Frankenthaler, to discuss abstract painting, how mood can be conveyed through color, different methods of applying color, and how different color combinations change the appearance of colors. Suggests art-related activities for elementary and secondary levels. (KM)

Describes an art exercise that helps students understand the abstract concept of line. Working in groups, students list things that can be found under the earth and then individually create layered earth drawings. A writing exercise follows that encourages analytical thinking and gives students a chance to explain what they discovered. (GG)

Examines grammar instruction as part of Montessori's language curriculum. Suggests that teaching grammar remains, without reason, a significant part of the curriculum. Grammar instruction offers children information about language, but that is not teaching language arts. Proposes the five language arts of listening, speaking, writing, reading, and…

Suggests learning activities for elementary level social studies, using cassette tapes of radio programing from the 1930s and 1940s. Explains this teaches the period's history and culture while introducing students to the magic of radio. Lists sources for tapes and albums, books about radio's golden age, and names of radio libraries and…

Draws a connection between the techniques of storytelling and the content knowledge of history. Notes the many fables, tall tales, and legends that have historical incidents as their inspiration. Outlines some specific functions and steps of a story and provides an exercise for students or teachers to develop their own stories. (MJP)

Copyright law, together with the market logic it carries, penetrates deeply into our daily life. The copyright regime is so restrictive that it turns a normal learning process into a series of potential copyright violations. The Free Software Movement (FSM) represents a substantial community effort to counter this trend. It seeks to supersede the…

Inquiry-based classroom activities require students to solve problems and answer questions that have more than one possible resolution. These types of activities stimulate critical thinking skills and dispositions in students. PreK-12 art classrooms are rich with opportunity for inquiry-based activities for children and adolescents. This article…

Most high school students grapple with profound questions of loss, love, and letting go; of meaning, purpose, and service; of self-reliance and community; of choice and surrender. The classroom community can profoundly influence how students respond to these questions--with love, denial, apathy, or even violence. When students work together, they…

This article explores the use of improvisation (improv) as a lens for viewing and describing teacher-child interactions. The author describes the relationship between the principles of improv and the characteristics of responsive teaching, and how improv can be used as a lens for seeing relational activity. The author hypothesizes that improv…

The new medium of computer-aided design requires changes to the creative problem-solving methodologies typically employed in the development of new visual designs. Most theoretical models of creative problem-solving suggest a linear progression from preparation and incubation to some type of evaluative study of the "inspiration." These…

The arts are basic educational processes that involve students with different abilities and from differing age groups in sensory perception. This perception, augmented by the use of art compositions, establishes a critical dialogue between the medium and the viewer. What one views, sees, and observes in an art piece serves to create a…

Originally designed for use in combination with a museum visit to the Islamic Arts of the Book from the Vever Collection exhibition at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., the document presents a teaching package about Islamic art during the late 16th-early 17th century. Themes in Islamic art addressed…

This document presents a teaching package designed to introduce students in grades one through five to Chinese painting methods and equipment. Prepared in conjunction with an exhibition of paintings by child prodigy Wang Yani titled "The Brush of Innocence," the package consists of a teacher's activity plan unit, a slide set of art works…

This workbook contains a wide variety of material directed at teaching and learning in the areas of word recognition, vocabulary, comprehension, and study skills by providing reading and writing activities which use sports as a backdrop. The activities include a clear statement of the exercise's purpose, directions for the activity, materials…

In this article, the author discusses the benefits of using songs and poems to teach young learners. The author explains how songs and poems can be used in English class and what their benefits are. The author explains how teachers can use actions or puppets to accompany the selected songs or poems, or allow young learners to create ideas…