Based on H.G. Wells' novel "War of the Worlds" and the reaction to Orson Wells' 1938 adaptation for radio, this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that literature originally created in one medium is often adapted to another medium; and that technology can make the unreal seam real and can otherwise confuse…

Based on the 1998 Arkansas State Language Arts Framework, this framework lists benchmarks for kindergarten through grade four in writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated standards are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing process elements appropriately to…

This report describes a program for increasing students' language arts skills by incorporating modeling and grade appropriate comprehension activities. The targeted population consisted of Kindergarten, 4th, and 6th grade students in a rural middle class community located in central Illinois. The problems with language arts skills were documented…

The purpose of this research is to tailor the design of information and communications technology (ICT) training material to the needs of Chinese language arts teachers such that the training they receive will be conducive to effective integration of ICT into instruction. Eighteen experienced teachers participated in a Delphi-like survey that…

Fairy tales are stories either created or strongly influenced by oral traditions. Their plots feature stark conflicts between good and evil, with magic and luck determining the usually happy endings. While each culture and geographic region of the world has its own body of folk tales and fairy tales, certain themes and motifs tend to be repeated…

In this colorfully illustrated kindergarten activity, students read (and re-read) "My Blue Suitcase" (Sharon Katz), as an introduction to traveling. The book uses all of the basic forms of transportation and forms the transportation lesson outline. The activity gives the students the task of learning about each mode of transportation:…

A great companion to the original "Social Studies through Children's Literature," this teacher's handbook gives theoretical support for integrating social studies and literature disciplines and serves as an instructional guide for classroom use. The guide is divided into two parts: (1) "Children's Literature in the Social Studies…

Starting with the 1997-1998 school year, the Direct Instruction Reading/Language Arts Program was implemented in three elementary schools in a northwest urban public school system as a 3-year pilot study to improve the academic performance of at-risk students. Direct Instruction (DI) is aimed at providing effective learning for low-achieving…

In accordance with RSA (Revised Statutes Annotated) 193-C relative to the New Hampshire Educational Improvement and Assessment Program, the purpose of this framework is to serve: (1) as the basis for the development of assessment instruments to be administered, statewide, at the end-of-grades 3, 6, and 10; and (2) as a guide for making local…

This book provides 108 activities to stimulate students to think about their own involvement in their education. Students must be able to think about and apply the information they acquire in the classroom to their lives outside of school. It presents practical information on metacognitive theory and reading and studying skills. The ready-to-use…

This paper provides a summary of well established, conventional thinking on the importance of writing to the language learning process. Writing is a central element of language. Any reading and language arts program must consider the multidimensional nature of writing in instructional practices, assessment procedures, and language development. The…

This document presents an integrated unit plan on snakes targeting second grade students. Objectives of the unit include developing concepts of living things, understanding the contribution and importance of snakes to the environment, and making connections between different disciplines. The unit integrates the topic of snakes into the areas of…

This teacher guide features five hands-on science units designed for elementary school students using an interdisciplinary approach. The first four units are presented at three different grade levels: K-2, 3-4, and 5-6. Units include: (1) "Defining an Earthquake"; (2) "Why and Where Earthquakes Occur"; (3) "Physical Results of Earthquakes"; (4)…

This study examined salary data for 20,191 college faculty in the field of English language and literature/letters (general) for both public and private institutions for the years 1995-1996 and 1998-1999. The study reflects data obtained from the 279 public and 386 private institutions that participated in both study years. The study found that…

Suggesting that students in the primary grades can explore the world around them and practice valuable skills in spelling, reading, writing, communication, and language, this book presents cross-curricular units on intriguing animals that reach diverse needs by working through emotional memory, deductive reasoning, and multiple intelligences.…