This book brings together, under the term "whole learning," ideas from the language-arts-based whole language movement and work in middle schools with multidisciplinary, problem-centered, integrative approaches. The book contains 15 chapters, most written by teachers about their experiences with implementing whole learning curricula. The…

Providing a center-oriented classroom takes more than rearranging the furniture. This book offers guidance to teachers in all aspects of creating learning centers in the classroom. The first section, comprised of five chapters, provides information on using small areas of the classroom for specific activities or tasks. Chapter 1 explains different…

Casting students in grades 5 through 12 in the roles of reporters, lawyers, and detectives at the scene of a crime, this interdisciplinary activity involves participants in the intrigue and drama of crime investigation. Using a hands-on, step-by-step approach, students work in teams to investigate a crime and solve a mystery. Through role-playing…

All five issues of volume 21 of the "Communicator," a journal concerned with giftedness in school-age children, are collected in this document. Major articles (and their authors) include the following: "Technology and Change: From the Renaissance World to Microworlds" (Gail Marshall); "Computers and Creativity: Tools,…

This paper investigates the nature of social change and the special needs of youth, and innovation in the teaching of social studies at the secondary level. Drawing on curriculum experiments begun in 1967, a new social studies program of non-graded instructional modules was inaugurated in 1969 concentrating in 3 areas: 1) United States Realities,…

Addressing the needs of English language learners, remedial readers, avid readers, gifted readers, dormant readers, reluctant readers, and readers in content areas, this book's goal is to help middle school teachers connect their students to reading. The book offers multiple lists of trade books that different types of middle school readers enjoy;…

This reference guide was developed by surveying student teachers, substitute teachers, returning teachers, emergency credential teachers, and teacher educators on what they wanted to see in a teaching reference. Samples of lesson units, themes, and communication with parents are provided, along with classroom-tested strategies. The 12 chapters…

Maintains that the "tried and true" strategies for teaching about the early Cold War years highlight the U.S. response to Soviet expansionism. Identifies four other focus themes: (1) debates over mass culture and youth culture; (2) gender and sexuality; (3) the civil rights era; and (4) rethinking the cold war itself. (CFR)

Noting that academic failure begins early and that the focus of school reform should be at the elementary level, this book describes the Basic School, an idea based on best practice in elementary education. A Basic School pushes school reform back to the first years of formal education; gives priority to language and suggests a coherent core of…

A collaborative project of Bank Street College and the Newark Public Schools, the New Beginnings initiative was designed to bring about progressive restructuring of kindergarten classrooms. This study used a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the impact of the initiative on curriculum, professional development, and…

This handbook for teachers of Italian consists of a collection of 16 essays by noted professionals in the field of Italian instruction: (1) "Fundamentals of Language Learning and Language Instruction," by A. Papalia; (2) "Linguistic Methodology and the Teacher of Italian," by R.J. Di Pietro; (3) "Preparation for Language Teaching," by F.J. Bosco;…

The document comprises three articles which analyze roles and tasks of teachers in innovative elementary schools in the United States, Netherlands, and England. Innovative schools are interpreted as schools which favor educational practices such as open classrooms, team teaching, parent involvement, nongraded classes, global orientation,…

This paper describes a university course designed to examine the use of film as a revolutionary medium in Latin American countries. Objectives of the course were to illustrate the complexity of studying a film genre, develop an analytical framework for comparing revolutionary films, and encourage students to reach their own conclusions about the…

Growing interest in teaching philosophy in elementary and secondary school prompted a 1975 national survey to determine the present status of philosophy as a component in the curriculum. Possible contributions of philosophy to students' personal growth and critical thinking skills are explored. The first section of the paper presents the following…

This video workshop with auxiliary classroom videos will show intermediate elementary teachers how to help their students transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Eight half-hour workshop video programs feature leading experts who discuss current research on learning to read and teaching a diverse range of students. The research…