There is vast research that substantiates the integration of science and literacy; however, there are very few books that correlate findings and address specific practices. "Integrating Science and Literary Instruction" connects scientifically based research and best instructional practices in literacy and integrates this with the inquiry-based…

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has been using the Sander's value-added model to determine if they have had gains in student achievement in language arts, mathematics and reading. The article summarizes the method to make this determination and the results from three years of testing using the CTB McGraw-Hill Terre Nova test. The archdiocese has…

Elementary school teachers know that classroom experiences do not just happen, but reflect a teaching and learning program that synthesizes a host of contemporary, and sometimes competing, concerns. To be coherent a program is something of an art form. This book elaborates some programming approaches developed by expert practitioners around…

This illustrated activity for primary students features the life and accomplishments of Booker T. Washington. This educator began his life as a plantation slave and later founded Tuskegee Institute, one of the first colleges that African Americans could attend. The activity tells how Booker T. Washington and his students built the Tuskegee…

This book offers 19 articles, published between 1992 and 2002 by the Australian Literacy Educators' Association, that present diverse viewpoints related to literacy assessment and reporting practices. Following an Introduction, articles in the book are: "Understanding the Influences on Teachers' Judgments in the Process of Assessing and…

This book presents an assessment model, developed from studies in two schools in Hawaii, that uses student-led conferences and the progress folio process to help students elevate their expectations as they progress through elementary school. The chapters are: (1) "Children First"; (2) "Bridging Learning Goals and Instruction";…

For most children, library books capture their interests and motivate reading more than basal texts do. Choosing library books is highly informal, whereas textbook reading involves more formal, structured plans of teaching. There are a plethora of choices to make in types of literature available to children. These include folk tales, fairy tales,…

This book presents five composites of teachers and students in action to portray and elaborate on the English Language Arts standards developed by the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association. The book demonstrates that teaching and learning are not generic, homogeneous activities that transcend time,…

This paper emphasizes the connections between listening and the language arts. It lists advantages of students who are good listeners, such as students can learn more when listening well, and students learn to be polite by listening. In addition, the paper lists the following conditions which improve student listening: teaching and learning…

"Viewing and Representing in the Middle Years" was a 2-year project to investigate the development of visual literacy in the classrooms of 3 Canadian middle school teachers. These teachers tried a large variety of approaches and were generally optimistic about the increased use of visual materials to make classrooms more inclusive. They…

This book explores all kinds of packaging materials including bags, boxes, etc. and how they are used to protect and display products. Contents are divided into six chapters: (1) "Appetizers" includes activities that can be done individually to become familiar with the topic of packaging and structures; (2) "Concepts" provides…

The purpose of this study was twofold: to develop teachers' assessment skills and to enable teachers to apply this knowledge to the creation of assessment tasks for the language arts curriculum thereby linking curriculum to assessment. Using a newly developed language arts curriculum, 79 urban Connecticut teachers were asked to develop the…

A study examined the effects of scheduling a language arts block at West Vigo Middle School (Indiana) in the 1993-94 school year in an attempt to show that ISTEP (Indiana Statewide Testing for Educational Progress) language arts and reading NCE (Normal Curve Equivalent) scores for eighth graders would increase. ISTEP scores for 1993 (before the…

The history of grammar instruction includes two approaches: the handbook approach, which is practiced today, and the textbook approach. The handbook approach focuses on rules for correct writing and is an error-based view, while the textbook approach would treat grammar holistically and interpretively and would systematically explain new concepts…

This book sets out to examine the "new literacies" in today's technology-intensive world, and it presents ideas, concepts, and practical methods for improving learning about and with the whole range of information technologies. It follows a pattern designed to inform and challenge current educational practices. Chapters in the book are: (1)…