An increase in the Mexican American population within the predominantly African American community and school was the basis of this qualitative study. The purpose of the study was to introduce African American second grade students to authentic Mexican and Mexican American children's literature. Interactive read-alouds of nonfiction and realistic…

Implementing the action steps from ASCD's best-seller "The Art and Science of Teaching" is much easier when you use this in-depth resource for workshops, professional learning communities, teacher training, and self-help. Hundreds of samples, guidelines, checklists, and activities help teachers in all grades and subjects become instant experts on…

Suggesting that improvisation is an invaluable technique that can be used in acting classes and in rehearsals for school, amateur, and professional productions, this book presents 900 improvisation ideas for teachers and directors to use. The first section presents ideas for improvisations on character conflicts, including teen/parent conflicts,…

This paper describes research conducted in a classroom devoted to conceptual change instruction. The teacher in this class of fifth grade students at a midwestern parochial school made explicit attempts to have her students comment on the conceptions they held, their justification for those conceptions, and the status they attached to their…

This guide is designed to accompany "The Great American Landmarks Adventure," a book for students that describes 43 of the National Historic Landmarks located in the United States. The guide includes suggested activities in the areas of: (1) art and communication; (2) architecture and engineering; (3) commerce and economics; (4) home and…

This bibliography was designed to assist psychology instructors in incorporating active learning strategies into their courses. The document contains articles that describe specific techniques that should help students to become more involved in learning about psychology than traditional lecture methods allow. The bibliography was prepared by…

Fingerplays--brief stories that rhyme and can be dramatized by using the fingers--are an old activity for children that can be traced in Indian lore to a time before Columbus. Today, fingerplays delight and fascinate young children and provide a variety of learning opportunities. Fingerplays can provide a source for strengthening language…

This research project developed a teaching model using museums for educational purposes. The research involved educational programs for children 9 to 11 years of age at the David M. Stewart Museum, near Montreal, Quebec, which specializes in the colonial history of Canada and Quebec. The study focused on the nature of museum visits, learning…

Developed by the participants of the Huntington Theatre Company's Master Works Study in Shakespeare, this collection presents single lesson plans and unit plans for teaching Elizabethan drama. The collection presents 12 lesson plans (spanning one or a few days of instruction) and 15 unit plans (ranging over several weeks) suitable for secondary…

William Shakespeare should be taught in high schools in an entertaining fashion so the high school student will appreciate his genius, keen insights, and talents. A strategy to accomplish this goal starts with simple material and progresses to the more difficult. Shakespeare's personal and historical background are presented in a short lecture,…

Freewriting is an effective means of teaching students how to develop persona in writing. One approach is to have students imagine that they are inanimate objects or nonhuman creatures, provide them with a specific situation or environment, and ask them to freewrite for five to ten minutes. Another slant is to have them become famous historical…

Intended to help students improve their vocabulary and spelling skills, this booklet offers activities on synonyms, antonyms, homonyms (including homophones and homographs), and acronyms. It is suggested that the teacher present these types of words as members of the "Nym Family." Ideas for posters and books to be used as instructional…

An approach to teaching the novel to high school students by tying literature and the printed media (newspapers and magazines) together is described in this brief article. PROCEDURE (excerpt): To link the study of the printed media to the study of the novel, book reviews, one positive and one negative, were duplicated for classroom use. Students…

An approach to teaching the writing of poetry is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): A poet's purpose is to amuse, to instruct, to embellish truth, or to vitalize dull reality. Poets compress, using the minimum number of words to gain the maximum effect, yoking seemingly disparate ideas into metaphors, creating poetic…

An approach to teaching grammar through the use of speaking and listening activities is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Why practice the language simply by completing worksheets or exercises in the grammar book? There are various ways to teach language through speaking and listening exercises. These are several…