In this interview with a Florida kindergarten teacher, the whole language philosophy is used to help elementary students learn skills through ongoing reading and writing activities. Thematic units are used to encourage teacher facilitation and peer teaching. (DG)

Describes the Thinking Network approach and the cognitive mapping strategy used in a rural Mississippi school district to increase students' content acquisition and theme conceptualization of textbook units. Notes that the district's pass rate for state-mandated written communication, reading comprehension, and written essay tests dramatically…

Presents a thematic unit on pigs that provides reading and writing activities and encourages parent participation. (MG)

Implications of constructivist educational theory for language arts curriculum development for gifted students are proposed. A framework for designing curricula in which language and higher level thinking skills are integrated with content drawn from multiple disciplines is offered. A sample unit for sixth grade, "Life in a Space…

A campus community needs a shared institutional vision--a set of common "positioning" themes for student recruitment, public relations, and fund-raising. Positioning themes are used to help match what students or donors look for in an institution, fill a niche in the marketplace, and package itself attractively. (MLW)

A communications audit, analyzed programs and publications at St. Lawrence University, audience by audience, message by message, and month by month. The ways St. Lawrence integrated themes into major projects as well as into small details is discussed. (MLW)

Notes that young children's involvement with the political system begins with a strong positive attachment to the country, and the president is prominent in children's minds when thinking of government. Suggests children's books; theme immersion; writing activities, such as research reports and interviews; and mock elections to enhance students'…

This paper introduces a series on the topic and presents a science education framework for teaching students with disabilities. Curriculum and instructional perspectives are reviewed, and the "guided meaning" approach is recommended as an inquiry-based strategy. A thematic scheme for organizing and developing science programs is proposed.…

Compares the effects of utilizing children's books incorporated into a themed literature unit with the effects of using a textbook in an elementary social studies class. Finds that students taught using the themed unit showed significant gains compared to the group taught with the textbook and that the subjects using the themed unit reacted…

Presents briefly a variety of ways to strengthen reading across the curriculum for preservice teachers at the undergraduate level. Discusses using thematic units to integrate the curriculum, developing three-level questioning guides, creating and presenting pattern or study guides, building vocabulary, and using writing to build comprehension. (SR)

Suggests ideas for using song lyrics as the basis for both literacy activities and for learning experiences that integrate language with other curricular areas. Describes a thematic unit for first graders that follows the procedures for using song picture books that are outlined in the article. (BB)

Describes a Scottish elementary grade classroom where a literature-based, integrated approach to instruction (1) improved pupil's schema for the world around them and their understanding of the organization of text; (2) developed their ability to solve problems and work cooperatively; and (3) improved their self-concept as they became more…

Uses a thematic unit on Japan to show how software can become an additional resource for elementary students' literacy learning in social studies, science, language arts, and art. Notes that the five-week unit addresses Japan's culture and customs. (RS)

This curriculum unit, intended for use with gifted students and others, uses the theme of queens and honors to develop writing skills across the curriculum. Sample learning activities are suggested for the areas of language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science. (DB)

Reviews "Favorites, Friendships, Food, and Fantasy: Literature-Based Thematic Units for Early Primary" (A. Lukasevich and F. Pieronek), a two-volume publication that presents four literature-based thematic units for use in the language arts curriculum. The units are designed to be used sequentially in 12- or 15-day segments, and each lesson has 4…