In this article the authors describe an Integrative Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Design-Based Learning (I-STEM ED DBL) activity that invites students to delve into the science, technology, and engineering related to the production of Ötzi's copper axe and to speculate about the circumstances surrounding his…

This paper contains an instructional unit designed for teaching elementary students who struggle with reading comprehension. The literacy strategies that comprise the unit are grounded in the relevant research-based literature that is cited and referenced in the paper. Methods for instructional delivery are included as well as detailed lessons.…

Cultures need to accurately record dates and times for various societal purposes, ranging from knowing when to plant crops to planning travel. In ancient times, the sun and moon were used as measurement devices because of the scientific understanding of the physical world at that time. Ancient timekeepers monitored celestial events and either used…

Elementary students find it difficult to connect the apparent motion of objects in the sky with how celestial objects actually move in the solar system. As a university astronomy education researcher, the author has been investigating methods to help children learn astronomy through workshops and summer camps at science museums and planetariums.…

Describes a project in a summer art program for gifted junior high school students. Students studied Marisol Escobar's "found object assemblages" in which combined shaded drawings pass for sculpture and then created their own sculptures based on characters in the "Wizard of Oz." (AM)

Presents observations of two community-sponsored summer programs in which storytelling was used as a vehicle for expanding children's existing oral language and developing their literacy abilities. Describes how children first participated as attentive listeners to the professional storyteller, then became creative retellers, then used story…

The lesson plan developed in this project presents the author's experience of searching for her roots during a summer seminar spent in Hungary, the land of her ancestors. Following an introduction, the project provides a summary syllabus for developmental writing students in an English literature and composition course, "Exploring Our…

Describes a summer reading program for 26 remedial readers in which each student left voice-mail messages on the school district's voice-mail system, either reading to the teacher for three minutes or summarizing a book chapter. Describes the teacher's responses and parental feedback and involvement. Notes that all students maintained their…

Describes the Children's Writers Workshop, a summer program of the Troy (New York) Public Library, which introduces children to the art of bookmaking by allowing them to write, illustrate, lay out, and bind their own books. Registration policy, staff, materials, costs, funding, and activities for the five sessions are among the topics covered. (6…

Describes the Electronic Communication Across the Curriculum (ECAC) two-week summer workshop, which includes components for both teachers and students, that gives them the skills, knowledge, and critical awareness to return to their schools and successfully implement technology-rich communication projects into their classes. Presents examples of…

Described is a summer program in which children designed museum exhibits based on their own research. (RM)

Describes a summer writing course by presenting a diary embellished with writing exercises, a course guide, a list of writing activities that can be taken as starters, and assessments. Discusses how each participant is asked to create a text about a city which has a considerable visual presence, and to explore stereotypical and mythical versions…

Describes the Rensselaer Children's Summer Theatre (Indiana) which introduces children in grades 3-8 to the performing arts through experience rather than lecture. Examines how the program is run and discusses its applications to music education, emphasizing the benefits gained from incorporating performance experiences into classroom music…

Describes a summer course designed for students interested in business, workers in business, and entrepreneurs to improve their skills in multicultural international business communication. Notes that students' comments and teacher evaluations suggest that the experience with the class was generally positive. (RS)

Offers four short articles describing the authors' experiences teaching a 10-day summer program on fact-based journalism in Eastern Europe for teachers and students from 14 countries. Outlines the experience itself, and discusses language barriers, photojournalistic insights, and reaching beyond prejudice toward understanding. (SR)