Designed by educator-led development teams who view the computer as an enabling technology that encourages children to become active learners, this CD-ROM disk is intended for students in kindergarten through grade 6. The disk enables students to create interactive stories fueled by the power of their imaginations and create adventures set in an…

This "mini" curriculum unit introduces primary children (grades K-3) to the concept of images presented through the media, primarily advertising through print and on television. The unit is divided into three approximately 45-minute lessons. In the unit's first lesson, students will discuss why they like the particular toy they have…

This lesson plan for grade 3 intends for students to use creative dramatics to demonstrate an understanding of three ways a mountain can be formed; students will also explore the effects of elevation on plant and animal life and on weather in the regions on both sides of a mountain. The lesson should take two to four days to implement. It provides…

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after attending a storytelling performance of "Growing Up Cuban in Decatur, Georgia" by Carmen Agra Deedy. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven reproducible sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) A True Story (brief historical background…

This paper presents a secondary-level teaching technique that can be used in an integrated English and health education curriculum. The exercise provides students and teachers with a case study of a suicidal person for the purpose of teaching the warning signs of suicide, appropriate questioning, and referral skills. The case study uses Hamlet's…

This collection of instructional materials and class activities emphasizes five different situations in which courage is a necessary quality. For each section, lessons are planned to extend the theme through a cross-curricular approach. The topics include: a definition of courage; the courage to resist in the context of the Holocaust; mythical…

This lesson uses an interdisciplinary approach to looking at the concept of "heroes." In a world with few heroes, students will recognize the positive character traits of heroes through the use of music, art, creative writing, and literature. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length and grade level; gives subjects and subtopics;…

This 10-week middle school curriculum unit for grades 6-8, integrating concepts, materials, and content from language arts, music, and visual arts, provides a set of specific instructional plans relative to the study of myths (often a content area in middle school grades across the country). All the sample lessons and examples in the curriculum…

Intended especially for teachers who might be a little intimidated by the art of playwriting, this guide provides a step-by-step plan for using drama in the classroom in grades 4-8 to build children's language arts and thinking skills. The guide features a series of engaging activities where students will learn how to write dialogue, set scenes,…

This book describes how theater can create an impetus for productive learning across the curriculum. Dorothy Heathcote's "mantle of the expert" approach is discussed in which teachers and students explore, in role, the knowledge they already have about a problem or task while making new discoveries along the way. The book also presents a…

This fantasy unit focuses on C. S. Lewis's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." Through the unit's 17 lessons (which correspond to the book's 17 chapters), students will read and analyze the text, using the literary elements of characterization, setting, plot, theme, character, climax, and resolution. The unit offers an overview;…

How have "monsters" been viewed in society, what purpose do they serve, and why are they necessary? In this language-arts-based curriculum unit for grades 9-12, students explore the ways "monsters" are depicted in literature, music, and drama. According to the unit, students will: define what a monster is; read the classic…

Describes a historical research project for students in secondary grades. Provides recommendations for evaluating student projects. Includes a student project guide and evaluation scale. (CFR)

Undergraduate education students can often discuss the language experience approach intelligently, listing advantages and disadvantages with ease, but express bewilderment when it comes time in a reading practicum class to actually use the approach with a child. A teaching guide can serve as an aid to those students who have previously studied the…

In this lesson for implementation in Grade 3, students will explore the pioneers' and settlers' ways of life through drama and songs. Crossing the prairie, living in a sod house, and the growth of Abilene, Kansas, will be explored in the lesson using drama games, role playing, written text, and songs. The lesson offers an overview; suggests length…