In this teacher practitioner article, we share our experience presenting a humanities lesson in which students created a remix, or mashup, by combining contemporary fiction with historical documents. Theoretical underpinnings of this project included the work of linguists Kress and Van Leeuwen, who noted that texts are shaped by multiple…

People are regularly confronted with environmental and science-related issues presented to them in newspapers, on television, or even in their own doctor's office. Often the information they use to inform their decisions on matters of science may be ambiguous and contradictory. This article presents an activity that investigates how students deal…

In Chapter 3 of Moby Dick, Ishmael, in a "towering rage," questions his landlord concerning Queequeg, the savage "purple rascal" harpooner, he has yet to meet. "What sort of bamboozling story are you telling me?" he nervously asks after learning that Queequeg is peddling shrunken heads-- and on the Sabbath, no less…

Would You Rather (WYR), with a Sexual Health Twist! teaching technique uses two youth games, "Would you rather…" and Twister®, to actively engage students in developing decision-making skills regarding human sexuality. Utilizing the "Would you rather" choices, the teacher provides a short scenario with two difficult choices.…

Extensive reading means reading in quantity to gain a general understanding of the material read. The purpose of extensive reading is to train students to read directly and fluently in English as a foreign language (EFL) for pleasure without the help of their teacher. It aims to develop an interest in reading, reading for fun, reading…

Describes the production of a local history magazine by two advanced twelfth-grade English classes. Discusses difficulties encountered during the project, and offers practical suggestions for teachers considering such a project. (SV)

A major assignment for twelfth grade social science students at a California high school deals with the basic components of survival on one's own. Students must simulate moving out of their parents' home, finding a job, making major household and transportation purchases, buying on credit, investing money, buying insurance, and getting involved in…

This article presents 10 practical teaching procedures to encourage students to develop formal reasoning skills. A twelfth-grade English course is used as an example. Procedures include pretesting, sequencing instruction, providing students with concrete experiences, discussing reasoning patterns and forms of argumentation, assigning argumentative…

Mitchell High School's Senior Seminar is a 5-credit interdisciplinary and experiential intensive learning program offered for one semester during a student's senior year. During that time the student takes no other coursework; he focuses on single subjects in learning blocks that may extend from two to four weeks. Program goals center on learning…

Inability to relate classroom experiences to the real world in the community was greatly impeding the learning process for some students. Other students were eager to gain career experiences in the community, yet were unable to do so because of an inflexible school schedule. In an effort to offer these students more relevant learning experiences,…