Reviews resources from the ERIC system on death and dying which will be useful to the language arts teacher. (DD)

This book documents the real-life story of Kendra Yoshinaga, a young speller who won her first qualifying bee at the young age of nine. Now eleven years old, she is preparing for future events after tying for 27th in the 2004 National Spelling Bee. Gail Small, author of Joyful Learning: No One Ever Wants To Go To Recess!, taught Kendra for first,…

Language arts teachers have usually restricted themselves to showing video interpretations of novels or filmed renderings of Shakespeare's plays, for fear of being labeled as that "person who shows movies." But film can be used as a "bridge" to other works of literature, i.e., terms, devices. For example, if the teacher wants…

In this kindergarten unit, students learn to name and talk about their address. The purpose of the lesson is to meet requirement K.4 of the California History Social Science Standards, to guide young children as they become aware of themselves in relation to the earth upon which they live, to develop a story which focuses the student's learning,…

Institutions of higher education have been on the forefront of technology integration. In particular, teacher education programs must respond to the training needs of prospective teachers who will in turn help young learners grow in the technologically advanced society. Several steps have been taken by universities and colleges to meet relevant…

This digest reviews some of the related literature about the benefits of classroom drama activities and introduces a variety of resources to help educators incorporate dramatic activities in their language arts classrooms. The digest notes that although several terms have been used to refer to "classroom drama" such as creative…

Social studies currently has greater significance as teachers and students interact with content in a meaningful way. The second edition of this book describes a child-centered classroom where students can expose and explore critical content and connect their learning to the real world. This edition includes new features: "Teacher's…

The Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) has provided data to inform curriculum and instruction in Maine's schools for 16 years. The test results, student questionnaire data, and associated professional development opportunities have had a major impact on improving instruction, particularly in English language arts (ELA). In 1997 the legislature…

This paper comes from an educator who worked on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts in 1996. The paper states that the work offered the educator/author the opportunity to discuss the many dimensions of English language arts preparation programs for undergraduate and…

Imagine a literacy-centered classroom where reading and writing are no longer viewed as school skills, but as life skills--a classroom where students voluntarily and spontaneously engage in discussions about their reading and writing. This book offers personal evidence of the workshop approach as it applies to a balanced language arts program for…

Why is it important to take a closer look at the patterns of language, or discourse, in the conversations in Reading Recovery teachers' lessons? Conversations occur throughout the lesson as teachers communicate with children and are not limited to a procedural component of the lesson related to composing. Teachers' theories of the world, literacy…

The papers in this compilation are the result of K-12 action research projects and were submitted in partial fulfillment for a variety of degrees from Winona State University (Minnesota). The compilation contains the following nine papers: "Will Playing Background Music in My Classroom Help Increase Student Spelling Scores?" (Jonathan L.…

The border between fact and fiction becomes blurred in legend, stories which themselves have a history, and in their evolving shape they carry the imprint of all the hands that passed them. Through the Internet, students can track the growth of a legend like that of King Arthur, from its emergence in the so-called Dark Ages to its arrival on the…

Generally speaking, a portfolio is a systematic collection of a variety of student projects or artifacts, collected over time, that reflect a student's developmental progress made in one or more areas. For the class, "Portfolio Development in Reading and Language Arts Courses" (EDUC 508 at Saint Joseph College), the portfolio will…