Outlining an integrated language perspective on teaching and learning in the elementary school, this book provides both the theory on which the perspective is based and many examples of how it may be translated into practice. The book illustrates and explains eight thematic units (called "prototypes"), and includes webs, examples,…

Of all the reform recommendations being made by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, making mathematical connections is among the more difficult, yet most important to achieve, especially at the middle school level, where students are first beginning to appreciate the real power of mathematics. Mathematical connections can relate…

Prepared by the General Education (GE) Review Steering Committee of Massachusetts' Bunker Hill Community College in 1991, this guide provides a model of a Capstone course, a component of the College's newly developed GE Cornerstone Curriculum. Chapter 1 reviews the purpose of Capstone, a mandatory interdisciplinary course designed to integrate the…

This study investigated the engagement rates of 25 students in a mixed-age classroom of third- and fourth-graders. The time on task of the students was compared using thematic, interdisciplinary instruction and traditional, single-subject instruction. Engagement rates were determined using an engagement rate observation form, students'…

Designed to challenge students to think critically and to motivate them to relate their own personal experiences to a broader panorama of society, this curriculum guide presents a seventh-grade unit on "The Struggle for Equality" and an eighth-grade unit on "The Movements of People." The three related goals of the curriculum…

Intended primarily for classroom teachers, this book discusses the genre of nonfiction, the link between nonfiction and elementary curriculum, and specific ways to integrate nonfiction into the elementary classroom. The book's 16 essays and their authors are as follows: (1) "Fact or Fiction?" (Russell Freedman); (2) "The Evolution…

Among the goals of the teacher of human development is to open students' minds to the diverse cultural and ethnic influences that effect the development of children. A new approach to a semester-long human development course offered at Green Mountain College, in Vermont, is based on the study of children's literature. The course is organized…

This report presents promising curricular practices for use with special populations of gifted students, such as students who are economically disadvantaged, have handicapping conditions, live in rural areas, or belong to a minority group. The report first presents a transition curriculum which enriches and extends the regular curriculum for…

This booklet contains 20 activities designed to make students aware of the intricate linkages between soil, water, and vegetation, and how mismanagement damages the environment. Under this broad theme a wide range of concepts is covered. The activities help develop skills of observation, measurement, data collection, model-making, and creative…

Based on Bloom's Taxonomy of thought, this thematic reading comprehension unit on "loneliness" is intended for teachers of grades 7-9. The thinking process is broken into six categories: (1) recall; (2) inference; (3) application; (4) analysis; (5) synthesis; and (6) evaluation. A short description is given for each of these processes.…

"Think Big" is a thematic literary unit, using literature about elephants in a holistic way and attempting to cross the curriculum into the content areas of science and math. It is a way of expanding the basal reading series and providing appropriate and supportive instruction in a cooperative, more interactive learning environment. To…

An undergraduate course in rhetorical criticism at Wilkes University incorporated a major component on the rhetoric of the American Woman's Suffrage Movement. Considerable time was devoted to critiquing "traditional" approaches to rhetorical criticism from a feminist perspective and to questioning the appropriateness of various…

While the populations of students learning writing in English as a second language (ESL) are diverse and have widely varying needs, three general recommendations to nonspecialist teachers of ESL pupils are to: (1) organize courses according to thematic unity; (2) limit the number of formal, polished essays assigned; and (3) encourage students to…

Described as an "action" document, this guide for the development of high school English programs emphasizes the processes of curriculum development, rather than the product, and strongly advocates local control over curriculum development. Part I suggests the following five-step procedure for developing new curricula and for revising/updating…

Because thematic statements are too global to aid poor readers in comprehending texts, a series of studies using a common procedure was conducted to determine the relationship between teaching thematic concepts prior to reading and reading comprehension. The thematic organizers used in the studies contained three paragraphs that defined the…