The eight English language arts programs in the six Florida public schools included among the 150 Centers of Excellence in English selected by the National Council of Teachers of English are described in this focused journal issue. Following an introductory essay by coeditor Edward Deluzain describing the Centers of Excellence selection procedure,…

This document contains issues of the "Syndactics Bulletin" published between 1989 and 1991. Volume 6 includes 9 issues provided between January and December of 1989; volume 7 includes 9 issues produced between January and December of 1990; and volume 8 includes the only 5 issues of the Bulletin published in 1991. Each four-page bulletin…

This issue, intended for classroom teachers, provides a collection of essays organized around the theme of mathematics and science across the curriculum as well as a guide to instructional materials related to the theme. Topics addressed in the essays include experiencing mathematics through nature; connecting science, fiction, and real life;…

The teaching activities presented in this pamphlet focus on children's playground rhymes, chants, and traditional verse. The pamphlet begins with a discussion of children's lack of interest in poetry, a definition of poetry, and suggested ways to approach poetry. Following that, it explores ways to use playground chants and traditional verse: (1)…

Clothing of the nineteenth century and its reflection of the middle class ideals of how men and women should look is the focus of this publication. Through a series of activities, students are encouraged to think about the interaction of clothing and society, both past and present. Worksheets accompany lessons: "A Change of Clothes" and…

This thematic magazine helps teachers explore archaeology through an introductory article and three lesson plans, one with a student-take-home worksheet. Lesson 1 is designed for group work and involves identification of "artifacts" taken from familiar, contemporary settings, as the students attempt to describe the function of each artifact and to…

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC) helps teachers by offering a broad assortment of services that enable them to quickly locate educational resources. This document is one in a series of print catalogs designed to give educators information about curriculum resources available for teaching math and…

This issue of "Basic Education" presents articles that discuss, respectively, defining the language arts, an agenda for English, the benefits of two languages, a new teacher (presently teaching English in a foreign country) looking ahead, and the Shaker Fellowships awarded by the school district in Shaker Heights, Ohio. Articles in the…

A potpourri of activities from teachers working with elementary and middle school-aged children is featured in this journal issue. Regular features include an introductory letter, an article on elementary school activities, project updates, reviews, and announcements. The articles are as follows: (1) "Yesterday is local history to fourth…

The focus of this report is the Language Arts (LA) component within the Primary Education Improvement Project (PEIP II) in Jamaica that was launched in 1993 and specifically the cataloging and reviewing of LA materials being used in primary schools at the grade 4 to 6 levels. Content suitability, levels of difficulty, layout, print, and…

The purpose of this focused newsletter is to give teachers who know little or nothing of computers some background on which to base further investigation and decisions. It begins by explaining what a computer is and defining such terms as software, hardware, memory, input/output devices, and disk drive. The newsletter then outlines four major uses…

This special journal issue focuses on writing in the elementary school. Topics discussed in the various articles include (1) a technique for teaching persuasive composition, (2) writing in the second and third grades, (3) correlating writing assignments with the study of literature, (4) a problem solving approach to composition, (5) the Virginia…

"Classroom Notes Plus" publishes descriptions of original, unpublished teaching practices or adapted ideas. Each issue also contains sections on Teacher Talk, Classroom Solutions, and Web resources. The August 1999 issue contains the following materials: Ideas from the Classroom-"Parody: Getting the Joke with Style" (Bonnie…

Elementary school activities designed for celebraing the significant dates of each school month, excluding December, are described in this compilation. The collection covers birthdays of well-known people, historical events, mathematics, writing, reading, science, history, social studies, art, and cooking. (JW)

This concept paper is intended to assist educators to understand why American culture has become so diverse, to review certain guiding principles and related research in effective educational practices for language instruction, and to present a number of instructional implications derived from the research. The recommendations for teachers which…