This teacher's guide presents teaching suggestions and presentation materials about the complex connections among population growth, economic activity, and changes in the environment. The lesson is divided into five parts and may be completed in one or more class periods. Student handouts include: (1) "Facts about Population, Poverty, and…

This teacher's guide presents teaching suggestions and presentation materials on the hidden environmental costs of driving automobiles through examining the history of the automobile and looking to the future for alternatives. The lesson is divided into six parts and may be completed in four or more class periods. Student handouts include: (1)…

In 1875, a man fishing in the isolated Trout River of California discovered several large gold nuggets. This lesson plan asks fourth-grade students to develop a plan to avoid another 1849 gold rush. The plan is to design a new town while considering transportation, housing, food and goods for the miners, and the preservation of the area's…

This guide introduces teachers to the ideas and methods that underpin project-based learning. Teachers who are new to planning and managing projects will find the guide particularly helpful as a starting point and resource guide. Chapter 1 presents a rationale for project-based instruction, describes potential benefits and concerns, discusses the…

The Arctic is covered with ice and snow for most of the year. Animals that live in Alaska's arctic region must be able to survive long winters and very cold temperatures. Surprisingly, many animals live in the harsh, cold climate. This first-grade activity plan helps students learn about the animals of the far north. The plan gives six steps for…

For social studies teachers, good social studies requires good reading, writing, and mathematics skills. In addition, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) administers reading, writing, and mathematics assessments to students at specific grade levels. Through many years of working together with their classes and with the "We the…

Native students experience social reality through their indigenous nation/society, and this reality must be reflected in the school curriculum for education to be meaningful. Indigenous communities should consider the strategy of developing an organic social studies curriculum grounded in all the social science disciplines, centered in the…

This final report describes activities and accomplishments of a federally supported project at Utah State University to prepare 77 early intervention and preschool special education personnel. The project's three strands proposed to improve the existing early childhood special education certification program by preparing special educators to work…

This guide is for preservice and inservice early childhood educators and presents ideas for active learning in science and mathematics. The child-centered and active-learning experiences represent three categories of learning opportunities: (1) projects; (2) activity series; and (3) activity centers. The experiences emphasize creating meaningful…

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a teaching technique that educates by presenting students with a situation that leads to a problem for them to solve. Rather than finding a single correct answer, students interpret the question, gather additional information, create possible solutions, evaluate options, and present conclusions. This book shows…

This guide focuses on teaching hands-on, discovery-oriented physical science in the elementary classroom using children's literature. Each lesson is an integrated learning episode with a clearly defined science content objective which is supported and enriched through literature, writing, and mathematics. The three sections are: (1) "Properties of…

Intended for teachers of middle school, this book offers information and activities to help students appreciate and value world events from the perspective of diverse human cultures. The goals are to provide interdisciplinary and multicultural activities that integrate language, reading, and writing skills into the five content areas of social…

The Catalyst project at Indiana University sought to increase awareness of research ethics questions among the faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates, and to develop and disseminate instructional materials. The participating departments were biology, history, and psychology, representing, respectively, the natural sciences, the humanities,…

This syllabus describes a college course developed to address South Asian literature and culture with a focus on India. Suggestions for student readings and discussion, oral communication, listening, writing, and field trips are included. The empires of South Asia, its religions, social stratification, parallels of history and religion with the…

This report describes a project at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (New York) to develop a curriculum that focuses on the social construction and use of science and technology in diverse cultural contexts. The program consists of both a minor and a three-course concentration on cross-cultural studies of science and technology. Courses covered…