Teachers looking for jobs in other fields have many transferable skills, including the ability to communicate, to anticipate needs, to organize and develop programs, and to manage time and priorities. A guide for evaluating individual strengths, identifying opportunities in other fields, writing a resume, and other job-seeking skills is presented.…

Ideas are presented for the creation of various puppets which can be used to teach different topics in the elementary school classroom. A song and ideas for stages for puppet shows and a "puppet corner" are also included. (CJ)

Many children do not know enough about the law to make wise judgments about their behavior. Educational strategies for teaching about lawbreaking and its consequences are presented. Six laws commonly broken by young people are described, first in legal terms and then stated more simply. Case histories follow. (PP)

Describes New York City teachers' emphasis on independent reading, with the rest of their reading curriculum growing out of needs identified during that time. They begin with mini-lessons, then create social supports for reading, make independent reading central and collaborative, reinforce what works, make time for solitary reading, and learn…

A classroom teacher and media expert explain why television reaches students in ways that other media cannot (it brings the curriculum to life, speaks to today's students, and is immediate). The article includes tips for taking charge of the channels. A spring 1992 instructor's program guide lists educationally beneficial programs. (SM)

Presents activities to help teachers address the needs and behaviors of students raised on television; includes resources to help teachers use television productively in the classroom, a send-home reproducible on children and television violence, and notes on an interview with Shari Lewis and television tips for primary students. (SM)

Explains why portfolios are as important for teachers as they are for students, describing the anatomy of a thorough teacher portfolio. Four teachers share the contents of their portfolios and reasons portfolios are important to them. A reproducible sheet for students, "My Thoughts about This Year," is included. (SM)

Presents classroom-tested teaching tips from 100 years of issues of "Instructor." Suggestions are made in the areas of language arts, social studies, science, math, writing, classroom management, bulletin boards and displays, art, general curriculum activities, and critical thinking skills. (SM)

By incorporating writing into everyday math activities, elementary students become better communicators and learn to express themselves, mathematically and otherwise, with more confidence and clarity. An elementary teacher presents several successful writing activities from her math classroom, including a math word web, a guided-response sheet,…

Presents answers to common questions on meeting the needs of students with learning disabilities (LD) in regular classrooms. Describes LD, offers instructional strategies, and discusses teaching abstract concepts, student self-esteem, student depression, teacher emotions, inclusive education, how to tell whether someone has LD, and where to get…

Three hands-on science activities teach students about plant processes that they normally cannot detect. A K-3 activity has students explore how the presence of water affects plant motion. Two grade 4-6 activities let students see the path water takes through leaves and has students investigate how and why water travels through plants. (SM)

Describes Discover the USA, an interdisciplinary unit for middle school students that uses trip-planning software and World Wide Web-based resources to teach organizational, research, writing, computer, and practical math and geography skills. Students plan a 1-month road trip in the United States, then take the trip, keeping records of routes,…

Presents a strategy called media potluck for teachers who want to use multimedia teaching but do not think they have the resources. The project uses sharing and collaboration to create small, low-tech multimedia centers that can attract additional resources from the school, parents, and community. (SM)

Presents ideas from elementary school teachers who have made hands-on science an integral part of their classrooms. Includes suggestions for overcoming obstacles to hands-on science, innovative teaching techniques that encourage girls to excel in science and math, model activities to win parent/teacher support, and a list of eight "sensational"…

Explains that the amount and quality of talk in the classroom directly affects student achievement and describes how to avoid the initiation-response-evaluation pattern by asking open-ended questions, igniting rich conversations, and increasing wait time with students. The paper also includes Internet resources for boosting talk in the classroom,…