Examines the context of contemporary sport-based physical education (PE) that contributes to student disengagement, arguing that thematic interventions using a social constructivist perspective on curriculum development can enhance PE experiences for disengaged students and summarizing characteristics of a social constructivist approach to…

Describes the physical education curriculum for gifted students at the Center for Creative Learning (Missouri). Emphasis is on integration of "body and brain" learning activities in an interdisciplinary thematic format. Examples of the authentic skills emphasized in the kinesthetic curriculum are offered as are ideas for coordination…

Describes how a group of gifted primary-school children in New Zealand explored the Internet in a workshop project organized around solving the mystery of what happened to the Titanic. Insets include the student "contract," a listing of Web sites, and the evaluation instrument. (DB)

Describes a thematic unit for secondary education students that focuses on eight themes, with accompanying activities, on learning from mistakes, such as "mistakes are inevitable, and everyone makes them" and "making mistakes does not make you a faulty person." Provides a concluding activity on the Titanic. (CMK)

Describes how "motif-units" undermine the potential benefits of integrated thematic instruction. Suggests replacing the term "thematic unit" with the concept of "interdisciplinary outline," which focus on meaningful content, authentic activities, students' needs, teacher mediation, and a variety of resources. Shows how one fourth-grade teacher…

Relates stories of three middle and high school teachers to describe how teachers can effectively integrate young adult literature into the curriculum. Notes a variety of strategies, including the particularly effective use of multiple genre thematic units, where a variety of texts are linked by some common theme, allowing students to use…

This article presents principles for using Web-based activities to support curriculum accommodations for students with mild disabilities. Tools, resources, and strategies are identified to help teachers construct meaningful and Web-enhanced thematic units. Web sites are listed in the areas of math, science, language arts, and social studies;…

Thematic topics offer tremendous potential for science learning in the early grades and beyond. One second-grade class explored honeybees, a subject their teacher found both fascinating and easy to connect to a number of learning standards and science concepts. Her unit, "Honeybees and Apple Trees: A Close Look at Nature's Balancing Act," explored…

Event-related potentials were measured as subjects read sentences presented word by word. A small N400 and a robust P600 effect were elicited by verbs that assigned the thematic role of Agent to their preceding noun-phrase argument when this argument was inanimate in nature. The amplitude of the P600, but not the N400, was modulated by the…

Working inductively from classroom research and guided by a Bakhtinian view of language, the author proposes a discourse-based theory of interdisciplinary connections. The article includes examples of four discursive resources individuals draw on to make interdisciplinary connections--content, propositions, ways of knowing, and classroom…

There are major themes in geography, which all teachers should incorporate into the social studies. These themes assist students to organize information and relate relevant ideas. Teachers need to study and experiment with using a set of structural ideas to facilitate student learning. Otherwise, learning may comprise of isolated facts, concepts,…

This book is a developmental and sequential program of activities designed for grades K-8 to: (1) build a base of awareness, understanding, and skills required for conflict prevention and resolution; (2) give students practice using a variety of strategies for managing and resolving conflict; (3) create opportunities for students to apply those…

Learning centers are areas in a classroom, such as a corner in the room, that define a specific focus or afford a unique learning opportunity. Learning takes place when students reinforce skills by using the skills in interesting, meaningful, relevant, and social contexts. Learning centers can aid this reinforcement by giving students…

A study elaborated a profile of four northeastern Ohio middle-grade teachers who incorporated whole language instruction into their classrooms. The overarching question investigated was how middle grade teachers proceeded to configure whole language instruction in their classrooms. Teachers for the study were selected based on their use of and…

Suggesting that instructors approach literature from a multidisciplinary life-based stance, this paper presents syllabi, pedagogical techniques, and a student essay which illustrates a life-based approach to literary themes. The first section of the paper deals with creative curricular re-packaging of great literature in which traditional course…