The 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's voyage to the Americas has raised a debate over how historians and teachers should portray this moment in history. Some view Columbus as a hero whose courage helped to provide a foundation for modern civilization in the Americas, while others see him as a villain who exploited indigenous people and…

This document discusses using children's literature in the teaching of art and music. It is divided into two parts, the first of which deals with art programs, the second with music programs. Each part is divided into three chapters that are organized around an age or grade span. The grade divisions are: (1) kindergarten, transition, first grade;…

Four lesson plans for teaching elementary students about the Amish in Indiana are presented in this document. The lessons include: (1) using periodicals to learn about Amish life; (2) using the budget to learn about Amish life; (3) simulating a day in an Amish school; and (4) visiting the Amish. A 14-item list of resources for teaching about the…

This digest examines ways in which the foreign language laboratory can serve to support communicative approaches to language instruction by becoming interactive. Although, in one sense, this can be achieved through the acquisition of interactive hardware, this paper focuses on the pedagogical approaches to language lab use that create interaction…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: This exercise replaces the standard, often boring introductory lecture on using the dictionary with a group assignment that encourages the students to observe and analyze the entry for at least one word very carefully. In doing so, the students discover for themselves both the kinds of information…

Designed for elementary school teachers in Santa Cruz, California, this book outlines an experiential approach to community study. Because the term community can encompass a scope as narrow as the school or as wide as the region, these guidelines are adaptable to several elementary grade levels. The book is arranged in six sections. The first…

A prospectus and practical guide, this manual shows college teachers how to help students better understand social problems by comparing sociology with two other types of social knowledge (common sense and journalism) and cultivate critical thinking skills which transcend the three types of social knowledge. Chapter 1 proposes a teaching/learning…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: LEVEL: College. AUTHOR'S COMMENT: When I first began as a college composition instructor, I gave a standard explanation that definition was necessary if students wished to argue logically or to explain an unfamiliar subject. I showed examples of definitions, discussed ones in the text, and then sent…

An approach to using values clarification exercises in a college freshman composition or a high school English class is presented in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Since the integration of writing and thinking is vital in the development of writing abilities, the values clarification experience is a natural bridge for students to…

Elementary school teachers are introduced to role playing as a device for encouraging students to understand and empathize with other people's attitudes, values, and feelings. Two approaches to classroom role playing are discussed. The first, set forth by Schaftel, includes the following steps: warming up, selecting role players, setting the…

This collection of 18 learning activities pages focuses on the subject areas of science, language arts, mathematics, and social studies. The science activities pages concern the study of earthquakes, sound, environmental changes, snails and slugs, and friction. Many of the activities are in the form of experiments for the students to perform.…

Information on curriculum development, teaching methods, and research and evaluation needs for communication curricula for hearing impaired pupils is presented in this report of a Melbourne (Australia) workshop. In addition to summary statements of the workshop sessions, the following two papers are presented: "On the Provision of Authentic…

A classroom game designed to promote critical reading and critical thinking in the English as a second language (ESL) instructional setting is described. The game offers problems whose solutions require the use of language. Students are divided into teams facing a screen. They are shown a passage or dialogue while the teacher reads it aloud. Each…

The assimilation of Interstate Distributive Education Curriculum Consortium learning activities packages into distributive education classes at Lumberton Senior High School, Lumberton, North Carolina, is described. (LH)

This article examines the conditions that will help teachers improve the reading comprehension of learning disabled students: (1) allow more time; (2) build a framework for comprehension; (3) intervene in the process; (4) engage the learner; (5) match student and material; and (6) expect students to succeed. Two figures are included. (RS)