Special class activities for September are suggested. Historical events that took place during the month, observance of holidays and other special days, and the change in the seasons can provide ideas for launching class projects. (PP)

The chapters of this monograph offer insights into educationally purposeful out-of-class activities and the impact they have on the student experience. It also provides future directions for the campus activities field and identifies ways to improve the educational experience of first-year students to enhance their scholarly experience and to…

This Technical Assistance Bulletin addresses the youth summit component of the Youth for Justice program. The Youth for Justice program of the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is a national law-related education (LRE) initiative designed to give young people a better understanding of the law and equip them with…

The ideas collected in this twentieth edition of "Ideas Plus" come from two sources: ideas submitted at an Idea Exchange session at a National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention or Spring Conference, and contributions by readers of "Classroom Notes Plus" and "Ideas Plus." Some of the teaching practices described in this book are…

Index cards, masking tape, pizza shells, golf tees, and empty soda bottles can be used to make manipulative objects to be used in children's mathematics games. Twenty-two games that provide practice in number drills and problem solving are described, along with instructions for making objects needed for the games. (PP)

A collection of ideas developed by teachers to help children get acquainted with each other and their new teachers during the first few days of school are suggested. Included are ideas about: (1) a giant grid which shows how each child's personal attributes fit in with those of other classmates; (2) a "personality-in-the-box"; and (3) a…

Approaches to mathematics instruction are listed which: (1) enable teachers to encourage divergent thinking about mathematics questions; (2) help low achievers develop mathematics literacy; (3) alleviate mathematics anxiety; and (4) initiate a systematic reading program. The SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Recite, and Review) strategy is suggested…

This monograph presents in some detail the ways in which Faculty Institutes--professional development opportunities where instructors immerse themselves in site-specific learning activities exactly as students would, though only for several days--allow participants to acquire the skill to design such adventures elsewhere for their own students.…

Learning activities that introduce new twists to teaching such basic subjects as mathematics, social studies, reading comprehension, music, science, creative writing, and spelling are described. (CB)

Elementary school teachers know that classroom experiences do not just happen, but reflect a teaching and learning program that synthesizes a host of contemporary, and sometimes competing, concerns. To be coherent a program is something of an art form. This book elaborates some programming approaches developed by expert practitioners around…

This teaching unit on using shadows in science instruction and other class activities explains how to set up and equip a "super private sleuthing box" where students can solve mysteries such as where to find shadows and how to shrink or enlarge them. Ideas for making silhouettes and shadow plays are also given. (PP)

Over 30 activities for elementary school classes during the first week of school are described. Ideas are included for a first day checklist, correct pronunciation of names, getting acquainted games, and classroom organization hints. (CJ)

This book provides a historical perspective on the changing nature of the United States Constitution and the society it has shaped. Part I focuses on the eighteenth century with chapters on the origins, writing, and ratification of the Constitution. Activities are designed to help students think about the difficulties associated with the creation…

This collection of papers by participants in the Puget Sound Writing Project (Washington) includes discussions of ideas and strategies that have been used in classrooms and that are based on clear theoretical principles. The topics discussed in the nine entries are: writing as a process through which students discover what is on their minds,…

Readers Theater is a presentation by two or more participants who read from scripts and interpret a literary work in such a way that the audience imaginatively sense characterization, setting, and action. Traditionally, the primary focus of readers theater is on an effective reading of the script, not on a dramatic presentation. The scripts in…