In this interdisciplinary curriculum unit for kindergarten, students gain an appreciation for the challenges facing the United States when the Declaration of Independence was written. Students work in groups to create their own pretend declaration of independence and develop a flag, national anthem, monuments, and plans for holidays. The student…

This paper elaborates on using picture books in the classroom--not just for young students' recreational reading, but also as a creative method for introducing complex concepts to the middle school adolescent. The paper contends that the language arts classroom needs to become a secure community where students are "pulled into" literacy…

This paper contains some hands-on activities that relate science to art and language arts. The focus is placed on middle schools and activities engage students in the discovery that chemicals are used to draw and color. Students also read and write poetry and literature that employ science-related topics. A number of spin-off activities are…

This Digest discusses teaching interdisciplinary thematic units in language arts, noting that such units typically integrate broad areas of knowledge, such as social studies, mathematics, or ecology with the teaching of the four major language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The Digest presents a definition and rationale for…

Describes an experiential lesson plan for using garden snails in secondary English. Shows how the observation of snails can be tied into reading, writing, and dramatics activities. (DF)

Argues that the English language arts can play a major role in arriving at practical coherence in school curricula because of the unique nature of the discipline and the unique integrative role of language in human experience. Discusses literature in interdisciplinary English and the contributions of English to interdisciplinary curriculum. (SR)

Illustrates the benefits and challenges of team-teaching in a multi-age classroom by describing one school's efforts at implementing language arts instruction within an interdisciplinary approach. Discusses initiating multi-age grouping and the advantages and challenges of multi-age classrooms. Offers recommendations. (SR)

Argues that grammar instruction can be more effective if put in a realistic context by: (1) becoming part of an integrated curriculum; and (2) concentrating on the proofreading stage of writing assignments. Illustrates integrating various components of the language-arts curriculum by briefly describing a unit using a short story. (RS)

Discusses the whole-language approach to education at the middle school level, introducing concepts and techniques that teachers can employ to implement whole-language learning in their classrooms. Notes that, even in departmentalized schools with short class periods, teachers can use many of these ideas in whatever subject they teach. (MDM)

Advises teachers trying to understand the whole-language approach to not expect to become a whole-language expert immediately; make learning real; make students responsible for daily routines; talk to parents about their children; beware of publishers and workshops that are whole language in name only; and develop a community of readers and…

Inquiry-based science instruction can provide a rich context in which to build literacy skills in the elementary grades. The authors discuss the benefits of incorporating reading, writing, and speaking into science instruction. They describe the results of research on two models for combining language arts and science--the Science IDEAS model and…

This article describes the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA), a nonprofit advocacy organization that engages with school communities through professional development to build relationships with educators, students, parents, and community stakeholders. NUA consultants are former and current university professors, former…

The popular reality television show "Amazing Race" involves participants searching for clues and completing tasks as they progress on a journey all over the world. Inspired by the show, the author incorporated some of the tasks from "Amazing Race" with geocaching, a game in which participants use a Global Positioning System…

Many teachers bring caterpillars into their class for their students to see the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. This is exciting and educational, but more can be done using Monarchs across the curriculum. This article describes an integrated butterfly unit for students in grades four to six that starts with identifying the Monarch…

The authors--a second grade classroom teacher and a university professor of education--decided to collaborate. Melanie wanted to find out if she could help her students increase their reading and writing comprehension by presenting a sequence of events in an activity (for example, the steps in building a house) and then have the students write the…