Contains two short, experientially oriented articles for caregivers of infants and toddlers. The first promotes and describes gardening options for infants including choice of plants and activities. The second presents coping strategies for toddlers when a change of teacher or caregiver occurs, including development of an effective transition…

Examines an alternative to high-powered, high-tech use of laser disk technology in teaching English as a Second Language. Points out that there has not been a rush to install this technology because of cost, scarcity of courseware, incompatibility of the various delivery systems and the time investment/technical expertise required of the teacher.…

Provides four fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in art, social studies, reading, and language arts. Library media skills, curriculum objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, procedures, evaluation, and follow-up are described for each activity. (LRW)

Describes a project in which an inquiry approach to learning and teaching in an urban first-grade classroom resulted in a student-created database. Illustrates how computer integration in reading/language arts instruction caused students to participate more in group inquiry, using their individual abilities to contribute to group projects; it also…

Presents five articles examining creation of environments that address children's special needs: (1) "Getting to the Heart of the Matter" (on changing from a deficit model to a competence model); (2) "Enhancing the Environment for All Children"; (3) "Using Your Senses to Adapt Environments"; (4) "More Than a…

Presents a series of lesson plans and learning activities using discipline based art education principles to focus on four works by African American artists. The artists featured are Joshua Johnson, Horace Pippin, Alma Thomas, and Tom Miller. Includes a representative color plate of each artist's work. (MJP)

Describes an innovative instructional technique for teaching the economic analysis of public policies. Teams of four to six students with different skills and different tasks work together as economic decision making units in a series of instructional simulations. Discusses implementation, activities, and assessment. (MJP)

Provides a rationale for using classical music as the basis of interdisciplinary units in elementary social studies. Recommends beginning with a series of humorous pieces to familiarize students with classical music. Includes many examples for utilizing pieces related to geography and history. (MJP)

Outlines a dozen alternative formats for oral book reports that can turn this often boring ritual into an engaging learning experience. These creative formats emphasize the inherently important concepts of the books and build in listener accountability through authentic assessment. The formats include creating comic books, mock trials, and…

Provides seven fully developed library media activities that are designed for use with specific curriculum units in mathematics, reading and language arts, science, and social studies for elementary and secondary education. Library media skills, objectives, grade levels, resources, instructional roles, evaluation, and follow-up are described for…

Describes a classroom project integrating children's literature, Japanese culture, and geometry that grew out of the local killing of a Japanese exchange student. Fourth-graders read "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" around which the interdisciplinary unit was developed. Topics covered included Japanese culture, American social…

Presents a lesson plan constructed around activities and materials concerning the National Park System. Activities include using maps and other geographic tools to acquire, process, and report information in spatial terms; discovering the physical and human characteristics of places; and interpreting how culture and experience influence…

Describes an electronic field trip to colonial Philadelphia (Pennsylvania). The historic locale has generated enough websites (Philadelphia Historic District, Betsy Ross homepage, and the Franklin Institute Science Museum) for students to take a virtual tour of the colonial capital. Suggests structuring the activity as a know-want-learn (KWL)…

Described is an activity that incorporates a computer, geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus to answer questions about the planet Mars. A possible crescent of Mars is compared to those of Venus and Mercury. (KR)

Argues the usefulness of timelines for fourth, fifth, and sixth grade history instruction, contending that timelines reveal history's unfolding better than fact-recall techniques. Presents ways to use timelines, including autobiographical, large display, and manipulative timelines, and combining timelines with biographies. Suggests timelines help…