This book is the product of a collaborative partnership between the two authors to develop a year-long literary/literacy program for first grade children based on bridging learning in the library and the classroom. Some of the objectives of the program described in the book are: to provide opportunities for children to experience personal…

This thematic curriculum unit on the adolescent novel, "The Outsiders" (S.E. Hinton) discusses issues that are relevant to students' lives and important to their future decisions. In the unit, students will discuss issues relevant to the novel and will use the novel as a bridge to analyze their own lives. The unit, with an overall theme…

Child labor in the United States is the focus of this unit of study for grades 5 and up. This unit contains four elements: (1) a list of documents with their specific archival reference numbers and a brief synopsis of their historical significance to the unit's theme; (2) a set of reproductions of documents; (3) 13 separate classroom activities;…

The Water in Africa Project was realized over a 2-year period by a team of Peace Corps volunteers, World Wise Schools (WWS) classroom teachers, and WWS staff members. As part of an expanded, detailed design, resources were collected from over 90 volunteers serving in African countries, photos and stories were prepared, and standards-based learning…

Suggesting that students in the intermediate grades can explore the world around them and practice valuable skills in spelling, reading, writing, communication, and language, this book presents cross-curricular units designed to integrate language-arts activities into the study of European cultures. The units in the book reach diverse needs by…

Suggesting that students in the intermediate grades can explore the world around them and practice valuable skills in spelling, reading, writing, communication, and language, this book presents cross-curricular units designed to integrate language-arts activities into the study of Central and South American cultures. The units in the book reach…

Suggesting that students in the intermediate grades can explore the world around them and practice valuable skills in spelling, reading, writing, communication, and language, this book presents cross-curricular units designed to integrate language-arts activities into the study of Asian and Australian cultures. The units in the book reach diverse…

Identifies and discusses six themes for teaching "History and Nature of Science and Technology" developed by a teacher enhancement workshop. The themes are designed to provide instructional guidelines for teachers developing courses in this area. Includes sample project descriptions, learning outcomes, and instructional activities. (MJP)

Examines how the holiday of Thanksgiving is treated in primary books and offers comparisons of 28 popular titles in print. Innovative classroom and media center projects are described, including discussions, drawings, bulletin boards, problem-solving activities, and cooking. (LRW)

Describes strategies and learning activities designed to create connections between students' feelings and historical incidents. The interdisciplinary activities often combine novels, writing assignments, and guest speakers. The students also conduct mock trials concerning historical issues and conduct their own research. (MJP)

Provides an overview, guidelines, and specific suggestions for introducing economic thinking to elementary school children. Utilizes examples from US history (buffalo hunting, cattle farming) to illustrate economic concepts. Includes an appendix that frames economic concepts as mysteries with clues (and answers) provided. (MJP)

Argues that if discipline-based music education is to be successful, change initiatives must take place at all levels of instruction. Discusses the collaborative efforts necessary to accomplish this. These include coordinated efforts among state departments of education, higher education and K-12, performing arts centers, teacher and professional…

Presents a fully incremental model that accounts for attachment preferences by the linear order of lexical heads in the surface structure and their thematic properties. Discusses the principle of "parameterised head attachment" and a serial variant on the basis of three online experiments on noun phrase and prepositional phrase…

Focuses on thematic units in elementary social studies, arguing that theme studies engage students, reduce boredom, and encourage cooperation, and more effectively use textbook information. Explores the selection process for choosing themes and subthemes. Illustrates two themes--festivals and buildings/houses--and suggests several activities…

Presents ideas for using children's literature to make social studies more engaging for students and to enhance student learning about people. Suggests that literature can be used thematically and offers several illustrations for different grade levels. (LS)