Most Americans think of the Fourth of July as Independence Day, but is it really the day the U.S. declared and celebrated independence? By exploring myths and truths surrounding Independence Day, this lesson asks students to think critically about commonly believed stories regarding the beginning of the Revolutionary War and the Independence Day…

This report describes a program designed to empower students through the use of the democratic classroom to improve students' attitudes toward school. Targeted population consisted of sixth grade students in a growing middle class community, located in a major midwestern city. The problem of poor student attitude was documented through data…

When children hear, write, and recite poetry, they understand more deeply the qualities of verse--the importance of sound, compactness, internal integrity, imagination, and line. Students' working collaboratively on poetry helps provide a safe structure for their creativity. This lesson plan for a unit on collaborations in poetry writing intended…

The Chinese lunar calendar dates back to the second millennium BC. Unlike the western calendar, which numbers the years progressively from the birth of Jesus Christ, the Chinese calendar is cyclical. Each cycle is made up of 12 years--after the 12th year, the cycle is repeated. The Chinese associate each year of a 12-year cycle with an animal, and…

This paper describes an inquiry-based, student-centered mathematics, science, and technology curriculum guide. It features activities addressing such environmental science topics as groundwater modeling, water filtration, soil permeability and porosity, water temperature and salinity, and quadrant studies. Activities are organized so that the…

This guide contains 30 lesson plans contributed by seven teachers and two curriculum specialists that exemplify how to make learning active, contextual, and career focused. Each lesson plan format identifies the SCANS (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills) addressed by that lesson. The introductory section explains how to enhance…

This resource guide provides teachers of grades K-3 with ideas and materials to integrate agricultural concepts into classroom activities. The guide is organized into six categories: math, science, language arts, social studies, fine arts, and health/nutrition/safety. Each of the categories contains 10 lessons organized in the following topic…

This resource guide provides teachers of grades 4-6 with ideas and materials to integrate agricultural concepts into classroom activities. The guide is organized into six categories: math, science, language arts, social studies, fine arts, and health/nutrition/safety. Each category contains 10 lessons organized in the following topic order:…

This lesson focuses on the post-Reconstruction South and the social practices based on race and skin color that hindered the South's growth as a region and relegated many people to the status of second-class citizens, in spite of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. The lesson provides historical background and outlines a task for students to…

This packet contains a unit on teaching about volcanoes. The following question is addressed: How do volcanoes affect human life? The unit covers approximately three weeks of instruction and strives to present volcanoes in an holistic form. The five subject areas of art, language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies are integrated into…

As a lesson in responsibility and parenting, seventh graders were given eggs as their "children" and told to give them 24-hour care. Since this was part of a unit on world families, students also investigated child rearing customs in five cultures. (SJL)

Suggests techniques and behaviors teachers can use to optimize the flow and pacing of their music lessons. Included are techniques for timing the lesson, keeping students involved, and minimizing interruptions and transitions. (SJL)

Presents a sample lesson from a junior high multi-ethnic women's studies unit and sample activities from a high school women's studies course. Also briefly describes the unit and course as a whole. (CK)

Three variables: subject area, day of the week, and academic activity, were examined to determine whether pupil involvement in academic learning activities is an indicator of pupil learning. Differences were found in each variable, implying that more effective use of allocated instruction time will increase academic achievement. (JD)

Two lessons illustrate the human dimension of Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt, showing them both as fathers through an account of Willie Lincoln's death and portions of Roosevelt's letters to his children. (CK)