Elementary education teacher candidates (n=62) proposed four criteria they used to identify a best lesson plan developed and taught for posting to their electronic portfolio. Criteria include a lesson that students enjoyed, learned from, actively participated in, and were involved in conducting research. The two criteria shared by all teacher…

This book contains a collection of lessons that will help teachers expand their strategies for teaching reading comprehension with the Guided Comprehension Model. According to the book, the Guided Comprehension Model is a step-by-step teaching framework that encourages students to become active, strategic readers by providing direct and guided…

This biology curriculum supplement includes the North Carolina Standard Course of Study Goals, helpful resources, and suggested activities supported by inquiry-based laboratory activities. Contents include a detailed description of content which provides the goals and standards being sough), a materials list for inquiry support labs and…

This project opens a conversation about the use of discourse as the basis for encouraging students' mathematical thinking in classrooms and supporting professional growth. A collaboration of teacher practitioners and Math Forum staff, it reflects an attempt to integrate practice and research, reporting on findings culled from discussions of…

This research report demonstrates strategies aimed to improve active listening skills in students, which proposed to increase students' academic achievement. The targeted population being studied consisted of first and third grade students from growing low to middle income communities located in a major metropolitan area in central Illinois. Data…

The borders that separate and connect different cultures often come into sharpest relief when the focus is on themes and motifs found in the literature or the visual arts of several lands. With the Internet, students can discover such points of intercultural contact for themselves, crossing borders that can lead them to a broader perspective on…

This lesson plan highlights one episode in the "Divine Comedy" to provide students with an introduction to Dante's poem. After a brief introduction to the opening of the "Divine Comedy," which portrays Dante as a pilgrim guided by the poet Virgil on a journey through the Christian afterlife toward God, students read Canto 5 of…

Monsters have haunted the literary imagination from earliest times (e.g., the Cyclops, Grendel, etc.), but a particular interest in horror and the Gothic form dates back to the 18th and early 19th centuries. Taking their name from the Gothic architecture that often served as a backdrop to the action, these novels present supernatural events in…

This lesson plan complements study of plot and characterization in "Romeo and Juliet" by focusing on Shakespeare's use of lyric forms and conventions to spotlight moments in the drama and thereby heightens the impact of the action on the stage. Students look first at the sonnet in which Romeo and Juliet meet, analyzing the imagery to…

Anthologists and editors prepare the way for poetry readers, selecting works that reward close reading and assisting interpretation through annotation. But on the Internet people can return to poetry in its native state--one set of words among many others competing for appreciation--and read with fresh eyes. The learning objectives of this lesson…

This booklet outlines approaches to adult basic education Spanish literacy. It includes the following: explanatory note for English (non-Spanish) readers; general goals of a Spanish language literacy (SLL) program in Holyoke, Massachusetts; checklists; learning objectives for reading and writing; SLL lesson plan guide; outline for SLL curriculum…

This guide is geared toward K-4 science teachers, supervisors, and environmental educators. The guide seeks to promote a better understanding and appreciation of soil. Students explore the land around them as they investigate the origins of soil and how it benefits our ecosystems and environment and discover the various habitats characterized by…

This conference paper discusses the use of cooperative learning (CL) in second language (L2) instruction. After two brief definitions of CL, key areas discussed in the paper are: a) how CL relates to theories of L2 acquisition, b) CL principles, and c) some CL techniques and lesson plan considerations when using CL in L2 instruction. An appendix…

Discusses ways to let music add a new dimension to a science lesson on dinosaurs. (GB)

Teacher uses Mother Goose rhymes to help children acquire basic math skills. Did you ever think of Baa Baa Black Sheep in terms of sets? (Author/GB)