Describes a secondary English unit on the rural heritage of the United States that sharpens knowledge and skills in the humanities, including English, art, music, and history. Rural music, magazines and literature, historical materials and biographies, and field trips are suggested. A bibliography of materials is included. (DF)

Describes a number of thematic units that integrate work in various disciplines, including language arts, social studies, science, and mathematics. Among the topics of the suggested units are time, survival of the fittest, nature, Mexico, the history of the West, animals, and bridges. (DF)

Describes a University of Alberta course for prospective elementary art teachers, which used as its theme the International Year of the Child. (SJL)

Describes the Six Through Eight Mathematics (STEM) middle school mathematics curriculum project. Emphasizes that the use of thematic modules promotes students' development and application of mathematical concepts in broad contextual situations. Presents an assessment criteria for teachers and focuses on the use of open questions and their role in…

Outlines general steps in designing a literature-based thematic unit: selecting a theme, determining unit length, identifying concepts, locating resources, brainstorming and sequencing class activities, and planning for evaluation. Presents a planning chart and a sample unit for elementary grades developed around the theme of life in the rural…

Addresses the need for organizing a science curriculum around contextual settings and science stories that serve to involve and motivate students. Outlines a proposed program of activities in terms of a sequence of theoretical and empirical activities that involve contextual settings, science stories, large context problems, thematic teaching, and…

Asserts that play is closely tied to cognitive, socioemotional, and physical development. Defines play and gives reasons for its importance in early childhood education, using Parten's (1932) and Smilansky's (1968) categories of play, along with Vygotskian and Piagetian play theories. Discusses the teacher's role as facilitator of classroom play.…

Discusses use of monthly themes to making "sharing time" a central part of the preschool and primary curriculum. Reading picture books, sharing songs, and planning classroom activities are used to integrate the themes into all curricular areas. Discusses the developmental appropriateness of this practice and presents two examples of…

Argues that global studies courses often leave out Third World countries, especially those in Latin America and the Caribbean. Presents a proposal for integrating Latin America and the Caribbean into global history curricula through the thematic categories of economics, politics, and ideas. Provides annotated reading lists. (16 citations) (AJL)

Four articles address topics related to projects and themes: (1) "Supporting Young Children as Activists: Anti- bias Project Work" (Pelo); (2) "A Study of Hands: Chicago Commons Explores Reggio Emilia" (Harger, Rodriguez, & Schroeder); (3) "A Personal Experience with Portfolio Books" (Meinen); and (4)…

Focuses on Perry School (Erie, Pennsylvania), the first geography theme-based elementary school in which everything is related to geography. Describes what students learn in each grade level and the expectations on what they should know. Reports on the creation of their geography learning lab. (CMK)

Discusses a thematic approach that can be used to integrate service learning into the introductory sociology curriculum. Describes the different institutional contexts that may influence its effectiveness, the course content and objectives, the service-learning component, use of themes, and student outcomes. (CMK)

This article describes changes being introduced in Norwegian colleges of education regarding the training of English teachers. Traditional divisions (phonetics, language, culture, literature, etc.) are being replaced by a theme-based approach, in which students are obliged to use English and are more actively engaged in the learning process. (IAH)

Analyzes seven college-level U.S. history survey texts to determine the deteriorating quality of college history textbooks. Focuses on three areas: (1) the simplification of style and content, (2) indications of implicit censorship, and (3) the lack of a thematic structure which would contribute to the students' understanding of history. (LS)

Hierarchical concept maps can be used to preview or review a topic, serve as a means of formal or informal assessment, promote classroom discourse, and provide a visual representation of mathematical connections. (MKR)