Maintains that literature-based social studies instruction can be used to teach civic responsibility even at the primary level. Includes three sample lessons teaching personal responsibility, environmental responsibility, and a citizen's responsibility to the community. Each lesson uses a children's book as the main text. (MJP)

Briefly reviews over 160 children's and young adults' books published in 1995 containing subject material applicable to social studies. Presents an excellent mix of books for grades K-12 categorized by subject (civil war era, world history and culture, contemporary issues). Annotations include reading level and thematic strands. (MJP)

Describes a fourth-grade program that uses the media of art and literature to understand a different culture, to develop an appreciation for the art of that culture, and to refine students' ability to read and write. Explains how the thematic unit on the Sioux was developed. Notes that the instructional sequence incorporated visuals, explanation,…

Chronicles events in a class experimenting with a theme-study approach, examining teachers' and students' conceptions of knowledge. Examines changing relationships to knowledge; defines three approaches to knowledge students could take within classrooms. Explores possible underlying causes for changes in students' approaches to knowledge.…

Recognizes that after-school programs for latchkey children offer an opportunity for music education by extending students' musical experiences. Explains that after school programs can include thematic units, independent time for exploring performance skills, field trips, group performances, or mini-concerts with live musicians. (CMK)

This paper addresses the issue of diversity and tolerance in the classroom by using multicultural children's literature with a thematic approach. With a review of the related studies on the topic, it points out that the understanding, respect and appreciation of various cultures are imperative for us to live peacefully as global citizens, and the…

Teaching a diverse population of adolescents to be writers, readers, and active citizens requires fundamental changes in curriculum development, teaching strategies, and student roles in the classroom. In this article, two educators report on their collaboration in an urban high school in Portland, Oregon, USA, to create a classroom where students…

Drawing chiefly from Paul Shepard's (1982) "Nature and Madness" and David Abram's (1996) "The Spell of the Sensuous," this essay draws attention to two underlying foundations of educational thought: the process of human social development and the emergence of language and literacy. A reading of Shepard and Abram implies that the meaning of human…

In this article, the authors offer a selection of strategies that teachers can regularly use to help students tame the difficulties they often encounter with social studies texts for the middle grades. They have taken a thematic approach to the strategies, basing all of them on the topic of Civil War. Furthermore, because the authors are convinced…

Teaching mathematics through themes has been praised for relating mathematics to real-life situations. However, research shows that the implementation of teaching mathematics thematically has not been widely adopted. In the present study, instructional, curricula and organisational factors that teachers perceive as obstacles to the implementation…

The hidden curriculum in schools is frequently reflected in clothing worn by students. Schools grapple with the implications of dress codes as they relate to the appropriateness of the items students wear and, in this study in particular, to the messages placed upon tee shirts. Legal precedent indicates that schools have the right to eliminate…

It can be a challenge to introduce students to a world region with the cultural diversity and rich history of Latin America. In this article, the author suggests four thematic units that enable teachers to identify both general trends and important differences in the region: (1) race/ethnicity; (2) progress and civilization; (3) conflict and…

Compulsory Greek education has long shown its need for revision. The Greek Pedagogical Institute (GPI) has presented the cross-thematic approach as a panacea, yet further changes are necessary in terms of experiential learning, school subject demarcation, teaching time management, teaching material, and the student/educator role. This article…

What happens to opportunities for learning when some of the structures of schooling are remodelled? What do children and young people do with these new opportunities? Drawing on research into creative projects in a primary and secondary school, and an after-school club for looked-after children, this paper examines a different way of working in…

This book is about the genre of school stories, that is, stories that deal with the education and the educational experiences of boys and girls. The book examines specific authors and specific works from the 1840s to the present, focusing on "crossgendering"--men writing about girls and women writing about boys. The chapters are, as…