Methods that secondary school social studies teachers could use to help students master skills needed for effective reading and comprehension of social studies materials are presented. Surveys of recent literature on teaching reading skills and results of the author's interviews with 91 selected social studies teachers indicate that secondary…

There is no evidence that graduates of a PBTE program are better or different than teachers trained in other sorts of programs.

Teachers at the elementary, secondary, or college level can use postage stamps to help students develop skills in language arts, data gathering, and critical analysis. The era of the American Revolution is used to illustrate this teaching technique. (Author/RM)

Proposes an integrated approach to teaching mechanics that focuses on literature and writing to maintain student interest, but incorporates enough mechanics to eliminate isolated skill lessons. Illustrates the method with an imaginary class discussion of wording in a seventh grader's short story that prompts revision of spelling and diction. (JG)

Explains a program designed to get students involved in encouraging local pet owners to license their animals. Discusses the possibilities this program offers in teaching citizenship. Includes five teaching activities intended for use in elementary language arts and social studies lessons. (TW)

Explains a teaching activity designed to help students develop an appreciation of the role of animal control officers in the community and the importance of licensing their pets. Includes playing instructions, reproducible game cards and a game board, and a supportive statement from the director of a state humane society. (TW)

Discusses the Early Childhood Services (E.C.S.) Interface Project in Calgary, Canada, which emphasizes learning centers and team teaching to enhance the transition into first grade. Evaluates the program's effectiveness, concluding that E.C.S. and first grade students can be successfully taught as a group. (MM)

Whole language learning, which is often defined in abstract terms, is discussed in terms of its rationale, its practical applications, its implications for how communication skills are taught, and its classroom implementation. (JL)

Discusses the activities and accomplishments of the Canadian Council of Teachers of English (CCTE), especially with regard to its Teacher Education Commission's "Statement on the Preparation of Teachers of English and the Language Arts." (MS)

"Writing across the curriculum," an educational objective of the 70s, has failed to impress itself as a significant reality on Canada's educators, especially in secondary schools. Reasons for this include a lack of understanding of the concept and its scope within institutions and misconceptions about the English department's role. (JMM)

Noting that recommendations for integrating elementary reading and writing often fail to provide adequate specific suggestions, proposes seven instructional principles based upon research on the reading-writing relationship and suggests specific techniques for each principle. (NH)

A bilingual education program for deaf children (ages 13-16) in American Sign Language (ASL) and English is described. Using a team-teaching approach, a deaf teacher taught social studies using ASL while a hearing teacher taught language arts using Signed English and speech. Follow-up activities are summarized and a teaching unit outlined. (VW)

Finds that college freshmen's opinions on vocabulary acquisition agree with the results of recent research, which states that free reading is the most efficient and effective means of acquiring vocabulary in a first language. Results contrast with a study of university foreign language students, most of whom did not value reading as a means of…

Discusses the field of educational publishing and argues that the majority of textbooks reflect static programs and packages and prescribed curricula. Also argues that because teachers are learning to adapt their instructional materials to their own purposes, textbook publishers will have to change both the content and pedagogy of their texts.…