A Virginia science and technology high school restructured its ninth-grade curriculum by clustering three core courses in an integrated program. Students work with resource managers at Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge to gather data on species inhabiting the area. They prepare well-researched reports and present them to peers, faculty, and…

Describes an art project that constructed a realistic model of a frozen prehistoric cadaver including its clothing and tool kit. Originally conceived as a way to introduce students to art materials, ancient history, and different cultures, the project grew to include a traveling exhibit and instructional puppet shows. (MJP)

Describes student projects and simulations designed to enrich social studies instruction. Students collected primary and secondary sources for a media kit on Russian economic development. Another group constructed a time line for a Canadian historical figure. Includes tips for designing and facilitating successful projects. (MJP)

Describes community-connected learning, an approach where community members become teachers and mentors in their local schools. Highlights include examples of projects; use of technology, including the Web; project-based curriculum; understanding the importance of community-responsive organizations and volunteerism; internships at local…

Presents several strategies used by teachers committed to providing varied teaching and learning approaches in the middle school; strategies include learning inventories; question posing by young adolescents; projects; and interactive and reflective learning by students. Also discusses the need for professional development for teachers who are…

Students in a combined grade 3-4 in a charter school in Asheville, North Carolina, chose the topics and ways to demonstrate their learning to fulfill history curriculum requirements. Their choices of local historical architecture and traditional quilt-making spiraled out to include photography, historical fiction, and quilted pillows, which were…

The teacher of an inclusive K-3 class in Pike County, Kentucky, chose coal as a topic because it had meaning to her students and they could use the community as a learning laboratory. Although a democratic classroom fostered student ownership of the material, older and younger students had different motivational requirements. (TD)

Suggests activities for library media specialists or teachers that use food to encourage students to interact with literature. Includes researching recipes or food items that appear in the book, incorporating Internet searching skills if desired; planning meals, either real or imaginary; edible art projects, including fortune cookies; and creating…

Describes the group dynamics, science discovery processes, and activities involved in building a raft at camp. The project used recycled products and required group cooperation; critical thinking about density, buoyancy, and balance; use of familiar resources in creative ways; and application of previously learned facts. (SAS)

Describes how grade 3-8 inner-city students created multimedia, multicultural dictionaries. Highlights student reflections on the project using Kid Pix software, and their ideas for future uses for the dictionaries. Argues that technology-driven lexicography can serve as a catalyst for engaging students. (PEN)

A high school teacher describes how her classroom methods changed from traditional teacher-centered pedagogy to the active and democratic involvement of students in developing their own learning communities. Sidebars describe class projects: an oral history project that blossomed into a "Forties Festival" with 1940s alumni and the…

Describes the journey of one kindergarten teacher as she discovered, supported, and promoted the passions and interests of an at-risk kindergarten student, and shared in his joys of learning. Details an inquiry project about snakes, initiated by the student's knowledge about snakes, involving field trips, class discussion, learning centers, and…

Students' conceptions of three major artificial intelligence concepts used in the modeling of systems in science, fuzzy logic, neural networks, and genetic algorithms were investigated before and after a higher education science course. Students initially explored their prior ideas related to the three concepts through active tasks. Then,…

This paper investigates changing modes of femininity. It asks: What are the discourses and discursive practices within which new femininities are constructed? What are the social conditions in which they emerge? How are these negotiated and lived by girls? What do these stories tell us about the complications of subject formation and what it means…

This article demonstrates that interdisciplinary alliances on environmental education projects can effectively address the gap between complex environmental problems in the real world and disciplinary curricula in a university. We describe an alliance between an advanced communication course and a general science course wherein we addressed…