Redesigned to reflect a more standards-driven as opposed to course-driven approach, the Applied Literature and Composition courses (I and II) described in this paper not only prepare the two-year college/technical school students for entering the real world of work, but also for post-secondary and college level work. It notes that the course is…

Developing financial fitness requires first developing a knowledge base and then applying it. This teacher guide and student storybook package focuses on personal finance skills for primary school students in grades K-2. The teacher guide contains 16 lessons divided into the 5 theme areas of earning an income, saving, spending, borrowing, and…

Three significant changes have impacted the teaching of social studies to young adolescents in the past decade: (1) development of the curriculum standards for social studies by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS); (2) growth in the number of middle schools, which are premised on the integration of content; and (3) expansive use of…

This field trip program consists of a 90-minute interpretive tour and a 90-minute hands-on workshop in which students learn about the process of making cloth both by hand and in a factory. The program focuses on the changing nature of work and the roles of workers. The tour and workshop complement one another by exploring different aspects of the…

Siamese baseball is used to introduce secondary government students to a study of authority, justice, responsibility, and privacy. The thematic/conceptual approach to the course is outlined. (RM)

Describes the development of a thematic ecosystem curriculum for a K-8 school, in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in which park interpretation is merged with formal curricula. Notes that teachers and interpreters should work closely to develop curricula, and that interpreters must be familiar with textbooks and subject…

Contends that when teachers use theme as a guiding force for instruction rather than the single text, students of diverse reading abilities can benefit. Notes that one advantage of a multi-book, single-theme approach with children's literature is that readers of all levels can participate because books of all levels can be used. Concludes that…

This article describes how teachers combined schoolwide enrichment and differentiated instruction models to design a fifth-grade fantasy literature unit. Small groups explored novels to learn the germane content and genre characteristics and then regrouped to refine and apply what was learned to a variety of open-ended problems. (Contains…

Investigates attempts to build an analytical picture of classroom practice in nursery schools. Reviews research on the dynamic structures of time, space, and planned activities. Teachers must accept responsibility for these dynamic structures if their teaching is to be successful. (BG)

This detailed description of an undergraduate college course on Austria (focusing mainly on turn-of-the-century Vienna) covers course content and organization, student involvement, and testing and grading methods. Suggestions for making instructional materials available to students are offered. An annotated bibliography of (English language)…

An awareness of the developmental needs of adolescents is important in planning for students in a Montessori program. Six important principles to consider when planning for young adolescents are time; thematic, integrated curriculum; choice; time to be together; time to be alone; and technology and nontext reading materials. (TJQ)

Describes Seattle Central Community College's Coordinated Studies Program (CSP)--a thematic, team-taught, and interdisciplinary set of humanities and social science courses taught as a single course. Compares CSP students' outcomes with the academic performance and persistence of other students, revealing the benefits of CSP's peer and teacher…

Discusses the use of English and Spanish children's literature in bilingual programs, reviewing 25 books that focus on elders teaching children, relationships between children and older adults, and children as helpers of older people. Using books that are related thematically gives children the opportunity to relate stories to their own lives and…

Describes an instructional unit on ancient Egypt that incorporates math, science, art, music, language arts, social studies, reading, and children's literature. (RS)

Discusses an integrative study of a seventh grade language arts class in which students were given the opportunity and the challenge of designing their own course of study. Describes designing the unit, getting started, exploring death and dying, class discussions and journal writing, literature groups, and individual papers. (RS)