Fifteen maps of Florida, each containing errors to be corrected by students, are presented for use in teaching Florida geography. Among the error maps included are Florida's borders today, the rivers of Florida, cities in the Grapefruit League, and Florida's European explorers. Teachers are encouraged to reproduce the maps and students to use the…

The three critical components of effective poetry instruction are: (1) the poems; (2) the methodology; and (3) the teacher. Extensive poetry preference research has been done with elementary students which provides guidelines for assisting teachers in choosing poems that will appeal to their students. A review of the descriptive literature related…

Procedures for teaching about women and the Vietnam War using class activities and discussion questions are presented. The topics for which activities are suggested include: analysis of quotes by nurses and military women; dealing with the war-caused deaths; journalists; and civilian women. A list of seven references is included. (DB)

Arguing that a powerful teaching technique teachers can use for developing students' comprehension strategies is direct instruction in the thinking strategies used for various comprehension tasks, this paper: presents characteristics of 25 tradebooks appropriate for the application of various comprehension strategies; gives specific examples of…

Deconstruction is a critical literary theory which focuses on the unintentional meanings of a text and aims to achieve an unprejudiced, value-free vision of the social and political power structures in society that combine to produce the text. The development of such critical skills in advertising students will deepen their ability to judge the…

This matrix keys school films to the social studies competency-based curriculum cbjectives for grade 5. Three television series are included. Emphasis is placed on geography, people, and the economy, but the themes are also related to history and government. The first series, "Across Cultures," focuses on the people of North America, South…

Written by teachers and poets, this book offers insights into the nature of poetry and the ways in which children can be taught to enjoy reading and writing poetry. The book contains the following articles: "Poetry and the Magic of Words," by Colin Thiele; "Poetry and the Child," by Charles Causley; "A Verse Along the…

Focusing on staff development activities, this paper describes the process kindergarten teachers in one elementary school went through during a 3-year period as they transferred knowledge from staff development activities to classroom implementation. The development process included participation in workshops, assistance of a staff developer,…

Jigsaw, a form of cooperative learning, was researched by Aronson (1978). Later, Slavin (1981) adapted Jigsaw to Student Team Learning and called it Jigsaw II. Jigsaw currently shows the least achievement gains among the various cooperative methodologies. Nonetheless, it is a viable methodology and is useful for covering and reviewing material.…

Meaning and knowledge are separate constructs. Meaning is an idiosyncratic, cognitive construct; knowledge is a social construct built upon various shared meanings that are reconstructed and judged to be accurate or probable by a particular community. Language is the medium through which both meaning and knowledge are formed. Instructors can…

A study compared the effects of dramatic enactment as a class activity with more traditional teaching methods on students' acquisition and retention of the concepts taught in the lesson. Subjects were 102 secondary school students from various content classes, randomly assigned to a half-class. Each half-class was taught two lesson topics, half…

The teaching activities presented in this issue are intended to enhance literature instruction for students in grades 5-9. The activities include those specifically designed for use with "The Diary of Anne Frank,""Johnny Tremain,""The Contender,""No Promises in the Wind," and "Farenheit 451." The journal also contains general activities centered…

Social studies teachers can involve their students in an issues-oriented curriculum by using the least expensive, least threatening medium available, the newspaper. The newspaper's stock in trade is the relevant, timely issue--just what is missing from all too many social studies classrooms. In dealing with issues in social studies classrooms,…

English-as-second-language instructors should take into account the importance of context for the meaning of language and address the varieties of English that learners will encounter in their daily lives. The principal elements of language variation and their implications for learners are described for the benefit of second language teachers.…

Developed to provide community animators or facilitators, extension workers, and trainers in east, central, and southern Africa with units and modules useful in compiling training courses to meet their own needs, this three-part guide includes, for each target group, a discussion of the group's needs/problems and roles and suggests learning…