Introduces an Internet-based teaching technique called WebQuest, developed at San Diego State University. WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which learners interact with resources on the Internet. Outlines attributes that need to be incorporated in all WebQuest designs; includes examples of WebQuest exercises and Internet addresses for…

Using qualitative methods of participant observation and in-depth interviewing, this research explored kindergarten, first-, and second-grade children's perceptions of classroom activities. Young children perceived classroom activities in terms of what they considered to be work and what they considered to be play. A work-play continuum is…

An innovative approach to traditional classroom themes is explained. Three stages of planning creative themes involve (1) brainstorming for innovative topics; (2) designing the implementation of themes; and (3) planning specific activities for the group as a whole and for learning centers. (DG)

Discusses the importance of including topics dealing with economics in elementary and middle school curriculum. Content standards for economics education are described, and three lessons are provided as examples of how to incorporate economics topics, including activities dealing with fiction, vocabulary, and group work. (LRW)

Discussion of censorship against books in public and school libraries focuses on intellectual freedom; First Amendment rights; and curriculum development to include lessons on the First Amendment. Offers suggestions for activities focusing on censorship and banned books. (LRW)

Much of what students learn never appears to connect to their lives. They learn facts, they study events, and they read stories of others. Teachers need to help students make these associations, and sometimes that means expanding the curriculum. To help her language arts students make connections between their lives and the realities of life…

A curriculum was developed that is intended to be a practical interpretation of Francis Kazemek's metaphor of adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) as storytelling. The curriculum, which is intended to encourage adult basic education (ABE) students to develop literacy skills by reading/writing about their experiences and visions, is designed…

This manual reflects the highlights of an urban park study developed and tested over a 6-year period at the Churchill School, an elementary school for children with learning disabilities. This book makes possible an integrated study that develops understandings in natural science and the social studies along with reading, writing, and language…

This book introduces and guides upper elementary and middle school teachers through the process of using major classroom projects to enable integration of the curriculum through social studies. The book describes the excitement of a classroom when the students are working on Washington, D.C. and Latin America projects. Not only do the students…

One of the goals of Project Onderbouw in the Netherlands is to develop an educational concept and curricula to be used in primary education. The educational concept adopted for the project is termed "developmental education." Based on neo-Vygotskian principles and other theoretical approaches, "developmental education"…

Guided by Piaget's constructivist theory on how children learn, this book explores an innovative approach to teaching physical knowledge in preschool. Part 1 differentiates between "science education" and "physical-knowledge" activities, noting that physical-knowledge activities involve primarily movements of objects and changes in objects. This…

This booklet was prepared for use as a staff development presentation in response to an official statement by International Reading Association's "Executive Board that literature (and the reading and writing that goes with it) must be the foundation of the language arts curriculum. The purpose of the booklet is to provide alternatives to…

The paper discusses some of the available curricula on the aging, their goals, their shared characteristics, and some outcomes of the curricula. Appearing in several formats for grades K-12 classroom use and including texts, videos, and workbooks, the curricula are presented as activities that may be integrated with other prescribed content. Each…

Initially designed for social studies students in grades 4-6 in the Black Hills area of South Dakota, the purpose of the unit is to help students see the relationships among all the workers and natural resources within the state. It is also intended to help students realize the ways the area in which they live is affected by the climate,…

This practicum addressed the need for an African Studies curriculum guide for early childhood education by developing 30 activities which could be integrated into the practical life, language, geography, art, and music areas of child care centers. Practicum goals were to (1) develop a curriculum guide of age appropriate learning activities for…