Identifies seven types of alphabet books: letter shapes, word play, art play, topical/thematic, multicultural, narrative, and puzzles. Presents annotations of around 30 titles. Suggests that alphabet books are not intended just for the emergent reader--there is a wide range of ABC books with intriguing stories, captivating illustrations, playful…

Describes the incorporation of thematic teaching into the author's Reading-Writing Workshop class. Shares a few activities from one coming-of-age unit that increased engagement and helped students generate writing topics that genuinely interested them and related to the same theme. (SG)

Shares the thoughts of two teachers on what they consider to be losses to the English curriculum in recent years: phase-elective English and the thematic unit. (MG)

Shares two methods for teaching themes (giving and jealousy are used as examples) to elementary students. (MG)

Provides an overview of an interdisciplinary unit on rivers which the author taught with other teachers. Discusses the role of literature in that unit, and surveys some adolescent river novels. (TB)

Provides activities for the study of light as a theme for December, which encompasses Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. Includes science activities and suggested books for children and teachers. (HTH)

Reports classroom observations of Integrated Thematic Instruction (ITI) as implemented in a southern California elementary school. Discusses the complex set of requirements that curriculum integration must meet to fulfill its considerable promise. (RS)

Presents an analysis of the development of the basic themes of geography (location, place, relationships, movement, and regions) by selected southwestern Pennsylvania public schools. Concludes that students in grades three through six are most often exposed to the location theme and that sixth graders have the greatest overall exposure to all five…

Presents and discusses seven books in which practitioners grapple with the move toward wholeness in their classrooms, offering the practitioners' own blueprints for holistic curricula laid upon a foundation of Vygotskian principles. Notes also three collections that package popular, high-quality children's books into a variety of theme units. (SR)

Examines the underlying rationale for using themes in contemporary classrooms. Examines guidelines for choosing and evaluating themes. Reviews what is meant by themes in various settings. Concludes that there are some issues that must be confronted by language arts professionals if the movement toward integrated thematic teaching is to result in…

Points out that there are a number of competing conceptions of what "critical thinking" means. Claims that thematic courses are an excellent way to teach reflective, independent thinking. Outlines how a thematic class might be structured as an ideal situation for developing critical thinking skills. (HB)

Describes the structure and activities of a thematic, episodic creative drama for third through fifth graders, which was part of a schoolwide project to celebrate Hispanic culture through the arts. Presents objectives, procedures, and materials needed for all nine sessions of the activity. (SR)

Examined viewer responses to paintings of solitary figures to show that when the theme of an artwork mirrors a person's personal concerns it may lead to a defensive intellectualizing response. Indicates that lonely subjects found the paintings to be personally meaningful but tended to need aesthetic distance from the paintings. (DSK)

Offers suggestions for a "campaign" approach to college/university organizational change. Emphasizes the ability of a campaign to mobilize people around a strategic theme. Discusses campaign planning and identifies four elements of a successful campaign. Reports five mini-case studies of campaigns, focusing themes such as changing how students…

Focuses on the depth of learning that happens when classroom teachers employ text sets for thematic teaching. Investigates how beginning a text set with a nonfiction and a fiction pair might offer a strong contrast that invites readers to read critically and consider alternate perspectives on a given subject. (SG)