Provides background information on the Document Based Question (DBQ) that is part of both the Advanced Placement (AP) U.S. and European history examinations. Includes an example of the process involved in analyzing documents during the AP examination. Discusses teaching techniques that can be used for the DBQ with the purpose of improving student…

Identifies factors that influence parental involvement and describes ways that school librarians can help parents gain the skills needed to support their children's technological learning. Describes levels of parental involvement and possible obstacles; working one-on-one, including parent volunteers; and community-wide outreach education about…

Presents a case study of 29 students who were all academic underachievers. Uses only oral assessment to determine the students' progress in a unit of work on physical and human resources. Provides the rationale, procedure, and the initial and final student evaluations. Discusses four limitations of oral assessment. (CMK)

Presents an instructional resource examining artwork by Charles Burchfield, Utagawa Hiroshige, Childe Hassam, and Georgia O'Keeffe that focuses on nature's four seasons. Offers activities to encourage students' observational skills and guide them to depict their personal views of nature in their own artwork (CMK)

Explains that a portfolio is a collection of student work that reflects the course content and is assembled by the student in a folder or binder over a specified period of time. Discusses how to use portfolios, the benefits of using portfolios as assessment tools, and potential concerns teachers need to address. (CMK)

Discusses the need to improve the design of intelligent tutoring systems for young children and teenagers so they will develop information-processing skills and enrich their cognitive-emotional sphere. Gives an example of an experimental group in Moscow studying English as a second language. (LRW)

Focuses on how conceptual themes can assist students in problem solving by acting as organizing elements and guides for thinking. States that students can learn how to use important ideas to drive key questions, discern the relationships among concepts that reflect the operation of principles, and visualize a problem to clarify essential issues.…

Stresses that music teachers must address the Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for each of the children with disabilities in order to have successful experiences with inclusion. Maintains that inclusion helps to change the attitudes about students with disabilities, promotes teamwork among teachers and staff, and enhances the education of all the…

Discusses activities for developing students' listening comprehension in English-as-a-foreign-language classrooms in China. The activities have proved successful, and students participating in these courses have done well on the National Test for English Majors Band 4. (Author/VWL)

Making report cards more understandable and valuable to users is a top priority for educators revising them. Administrators should tie report cards to new standards and exams; be open-minded; involve parents, teachers, and schools; check with technology people; and strive for clarity. A Maryland district's experience is profiled. (MLH)

Provides a lesson that gives students the opportunity to master the medium of pen and ink through a project called "Transformations." Explains that students choose two pictures, copying each one, and then combine them to create a transformation where one object transforms into the other, such as a bolt with butterfly wings. (CMK)

Considers the importance of shaping the kinds of personal qualities that will serve as the motivating force in all a student's learning activities and also will determine the future fate of the student's overall knowledge. Explores the link between the purposeful shaping of abilities and the shaping of the student's personal qualities. (CMK)

Explains that after the Columbus (Georgia) Symphony was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for American music, the symphony director gave a portion of the money for an elementary music composition class that utilized computers for two reasons: (1) students could get immediate feedback; and (2) the computers provided motivation. (CMK)

Reports on a longitudinal study of high school instrumentalists that examined the development of four distinct types of musical performance (playing by ear, playing from memory, sight reading, and improvising) over three years. Reveals a significant improvement in these skills while also demonstrating changes in aural and creative activities. (CMK)

Contends that the real problem in using the Internet is information evaluation and validation. Identifies three types of websites that cause social studies teachers concern: Hate Sites, Dumb Sites, and Conspiratory Sites. Provides guidelines that students can use when evaluating these types of online information. (CMK)