Describes the Minnesota Education Computing Corporation (MECC) Computing and Information Collection, a collection of software products for students in grades 4-12. These products are designed to support individual course content objectives and introduce and practice information literacy skills. Curriculum applications in language arts,…

A specialized curriculum focusing on interrelationships of rural resident, the land, and small community and offering an alternative to urban-based literature could include units on American folklore, fictional accounts of early settlement, displaced Americans, small community life, the ecology issue, the individual-land relationship, historical…

In this social studies and language arts interdisciplinary unit for 8th or 11th grade, students are required to take on the persona of a Populist or a Progressive. The unit is designed to create a dialogue between two similar movements in late 19th and early 20th century U.S. history. Students work in small groups to research and present their…

This curriculum unit of four lessons introduces students to traditional fables. In the unit, students learn about the qualities that make a tale a fable and read representative selections; they will also engage in storytelling activities and dramatic presentations of traditional and original fables. The following lessons are part of the unit:…

This publication explains how to teach students to produce well written and analytic work, offering essays, lesson plans, and a collection of student writing, all rooted in a focus on language arts teaching for social justice. The eight chapters look at: (1) "Building Community out of Chaos" (e.g., inviting students' lives into the…

The goal of this lesson plan is for second-grade students to understand the steps in how food is made and delivered to the grocery store. Students create a play where each person plays a part in the production and distribution of food. The lesson suggests that the class perform the play on parents' night. It provides five activities for students…

This guide, in English- and Spanish-language versions, shares with parents information about the South Carolina Curriculum Standards. The standards outline state requirements for children's learning and what students across the state should be able to do in certain subjects. The guide lists seven key reasons parents should be aware of the new…

Annually in May and June, grade 3, 6, and 9 students in Alberta (Canada) take provincial achievement tests. This guide, in both English and French versions, explains the achievement tests. The tests are designed to indicate how well students meet the province's standards, to support teachers in planning instruction, and to inform the public about…

The 40 activities contained in this book were designed to persuade students to think both critically and creatively. The activities call for the use of all 18 of E. Paul Torrance's creative thinking abilities. The theoretical underpinnings for this collection are based upon philosophical and pedagogical beliefs that experiences be positive: if…

Focusing on multiple ways in which learners gain access to knowledge and skills, this handbook explores the possibilities of broadening current conceptualizations of literacy to include the full array of the communicative arts (reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing). The handbook pays particular attention to the visual arts of drama,…

Based on the idea that parents are their children's first and most important teachers, this book gives practical suggestions for how parents can best nurture the qualities of initiative, thoughtfulness, curiosity, resourcefulness, perseverance, and imagination that are fundamental to all that children will do and become in their lives. Drawing…

This collection, with contributors from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, addresses three important themes in the literacy learning of preschool children: children are active constructors of their own learning; families provide invaluable support in the early literacy learning of children; and preschool settings should reflect…

This guide is designed to provide teachers with instructional strategies and techniques to enhance the content area and language achievement of intermediate and advanced bilingual/English-as-a- Second-Language (ESL) learners in New York City (New York) public schools. Its content is geared to recently-developed city standards for curriculum design…

This practicum was designed to increase the use of computer technologies, which would enhance student learning outcomes. The primary goal was to improve the language arts skills of third, fourth, and fifth grade students by using specific software and related activities. A secondary goal was to raise teachers' computer comfort levels and skills.…

Through the development and use of a computer databased bibliographic cataloging system, this practicum aimed to improve the organization and management of the non-print media collections housed in a Native American Indian reservation's high school language arts department and library in order for the teaching staff to gain better access to the…