Drawing upon stages of motor development and elements of biomechanics, the authors used anatomical planes as a frame of reference to determine movement patterns and assess readiness to perform movement skills. The combination of determining readiness and analyzing skill enables the teacher to plan proper motor skill activities. (MT)

"Children and Chess: A Guide for Educators" is the first book to show the connection between accepted educational theories and chess. The relationship of chess to academic and humanistic educational goals is convincingly illustrated as curriculum and psychological theories from John D. McNeil, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and Howard Gardner…

"Lessons in American Music," by Debra Kay Robinson Lindsay, is a collection of lessons covering William Billings, Stephen Foster, Scott Joplin, and "The Star-Spangled Banner." This book is an all-in-one resource for teachers, offering lesson plans, activities, sheet music, and assessments. The set of lessons on William Billings will let your…

The activities presented in this book are the product of the Community Outreach Initiative of the Microbial Literacy Collaborative (MLC). This activity book presents a balanced view of microbes, their benefits, and the diseases they cause. Each activity starts with an interesting introductory statement and includes goals, activity time, time to…

This guide focuses on vermicomposting of food waste. Contents include: (1) "Integrated Waste Management"; (2) "Basics of Vermicomposting"; (3) "Other Worm Bin Residents"; (4) "The Garden Connection"; (5) "Closing the Food Loop at Your School"; (6) "Fundraising"; (7) "Activities for…

A lesson plan may be defined as a systematic design for the development, implementation, and evaluation of instruction. It is a rehearsal for delivering effective instruction in that it provides the teacher the opportunity to anticipate instructional and learning needs and make plans to address them before stepping in front of the students. This…

A four-state series of lessons aimed toward imparting the ability to visualize objects. (Author/GB)

Lessons designed to help elementary students understand disabilities and disabled persons were successful in promoting understanding and positive attitudes. Lessons focus on such topics as individual differences, people in wheelchairs, and hearing and visual impairments. (Sample lessons are presented for grades K-6.) (CL)

The author describes lessons provided for regular class elementary students to help them understand disabilities and disabled persons. Objectives, materials needed, and activities are outlined for six lessons focusing on the following topics: individual differences, wheelchairs; devices that help people walk; amputation, artificial limbs, and…

One trend for social studies education in the 1980s is closing the gap between sociohistorical research and teaching. A sample social history lesson for secondary students on the "Nineteenth Century Concept of the 'Criminal"' is included. (AM)

Describes strategy for helping student-teachers systematically and consciously plan their lessons using sequence "overview, prime, drill, and check." Author believes this method reduces new teacher insecurity and can be used as means of analyzing the teaching and learning accomplished in class. (Author/BK)

The article presents a teaching unit for gifted upper elementary students, which focuses on the Amarna Period of Ancient Egypt. (Author/DLS)

This article presents a rationale for using songwriting in the elementary grades and outlines a plan by which a whole class of fifth- or sixth-graders can work together to write a song. (SJL)