School is sometimes framed as a place for preparing, a place for becoming college and career ready. At times this approach positions school as an important space "within" the world of college and careers, envisioned perhaps as Dewey imagined it, as a safe place to try things, a space where real work of participation in society could be done but in…

Over the past three decades, environmental issues have been on the global forefront and continue to affect people's daily lives. Although the need for environmental attention is at an all-time high, outdoor and environmental education (OEE) plays an insufficient role in school systems. As technology continues to contribute to advancements in every…

Examines the who, what, where, how, and why of informal drama instruction in the classroom, arguing that, given the current emphasis on "basics" in education, such instruction can provide one of the most basic educational experiences in language arts. (HTH)

Author/illustrator Pat Cummings talks about drawing, her favorite illustrators, her first book, her work habits, teaching, inspiration, working with other writers, and offers advice to parents, teachers, and children about art. Lists books written and/or illustrated by Cummings, and suggests activities based on her books using art, language arts,…

Science fiction deserves a greater respect, serious and critical reading and a better place in high school literature classes. Some of the science fiction books by Isaac Asimov, Alfred Bester, Ray Bradbury and Octavia L. Butler and various activities for incorporating science fiction into the English language arts instruction classroom are…

The blockbuilding, painting, and oral expressions of young children provide evidence of a natural tendency to symbolize experience and to use the symbolic elements of expressiveness, creativeness, and living form. Up to the present time, educators have not fully grasped the fact that the need to symbolize is at the base of all education. They…

Creative dramatics offer the educator a variety of uses in the development of children's language arts proficiency and psychomotor skill level. (LH)

Argues that the value of humor in a reading/language arts program may not be understood completely and may often be overlooked. Suggests that the use of humor is supportable by many learning theories and that it has probable affective and cognitive benefits. (FL)

Described is a "joke center" where elementary school students not only learned about various kinds of humor and practiced language skills but had a terrific week of laughter as they shared favorite jokes and made up new ones. (Author/KC)

Language arts skills and writing projects can be combined with activities that teach the fundamentals of word processing to improve the language arts curriculum. Suggested lessons cover five writing and editing operations common to most word processing software. (DF)

Before children can make sense of phonics study, they first must learn that print conveys meaning. Children who do not have this foundation concept may do phonics workbook pages, but without understanding or processing the concepts. That is why--unlike books on traditional phonics teaching--this book emphasizes the making of sound instructional…

Asserts that a major challenge in the language arts curriculum is to continue including expressive oral language activities amid requirements for more written-language activities. Claims that there are three tasks for curriculum workers interested in oral language: develop rationales; plan curriculum sequences; and implement evaluation of…

For most children, library books capture their interests and motivate reading more than basal texts do. Choosing library books is highly informal, whereas textbook reading involves more formal, structured plans of teaching. There are a plethora of choices to make in types of literature available to children. These include folk tales, fairy tales,…

Relates how a high school English teacher reorganized the "basic skills" course to reflect greater attention not to isolated skills and drill but to meaningful practice in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Focuses on the technique of a "Reading Blitz"--five successive days of reading--to develop other language activities. (RL)

Maintains there are many ways to help children develop their language abilities as they learn and that teachers can involve children in activities that bring the children's own knowledge into the curriculum. Illustrated with samples from the science activities of first through third graders. (BB)