This spider unit focuses on students' development of cooperative learning and inquiry-based skills. Students read "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle, and then work in cooperative groups using the Internet to research and synthesize important information about spiders. Technology is used for vocabulary instruction and to create a…

This set of four lessons, intended for grades 2-5, aims to give U.S. students an opportunity to understand and appreciate ways in which the lives of Korean school children are similar and different from their own. The lessons are: (1)"An Elementary School Day in Korea; (2) "A School Lunch in Korea"; (3) "A Visit to a…

Based on Upton Sinclair's novel "The Jungle," this lesson plan presents activities in which students make a list of books that convey strong social messages, discuss the literary strengths and weaknesses of these books, and understand how literature reflects life and can be used as a vehicle to bring about change. It includes objectives,…

Based on Rachel Carson's book "Silent Spring" and other conservation-related books, this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that many conservationists have written books that have had a profound influence on the way people think about and treat the planet; such books can be powerful instruments for change; and…

Based on Joseph Conrad's novel "Heart of Darkness," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that critics have debated some of Conrad's choices in the novel; and that the novel reflects the world as Conrad saw it. The main activity of the lesson involves students rewriting the ending of the novel so that Marlow…

Based on Machiavelli's book "The Prince," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that Machiavelli's enumeration of leadership qualities for a prince has always been controversial; and that leaders and followers may differ in what they identify as the qualities of a good leader. The main activity of the lesson…

Based on Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice," this lesson plan presents activities designed to help students understand that classics are those pieces of literature that continue to be popular long after they were written; classics tend to have universal themes; and Austen's writing has been updated and dramatized and, most likely, will…

This book explores the cortical issues related to differentiation of instruction for students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Included in the book is a step-by-step decision making process for developing, implementing, and assessing instruction that is differentiated for the levels of learners presented in any teaching situation. The…

The text of a workshop lecture and demonstration focus on the use of instructional materials to enhance the communicative competence of students of English as a Second Language in China. The text of the presentation addresses, in question-and-answer form, seven issues: (1) the varied teaching techniques of teachers in different cultural contexts…

Suggesting that students in grades 4-12 can develop their ear for expository writing and improve their skills by having well-written expository pieces read to them regularly, this book contains a broad variety of sample expository read-aloud pieces with accompanying notes that highlight the techniques each writer has used particularly well. After…

This guide is meant to aid teachers and parents with explanations and activities that they can use to help students understand and clarify their use of English. The guide discusses, for example: how language develops and grows; how to use a dictionary to answer questions; how words have formed in the past and continue to form; changing the content…

This book is designed to help elementary teachers plan an integrated unit of study involving sports. It links popular fiction titles on the topic of sports to related nonfiction titles that will fascinate young readers and build their knowledge across the curriculum. The book includes suggestions for individual, small group, and large group…

In this four-part lesson, students examine the concept of geographic region by exploring the history of the United States Great Plains. In Part I, students gather information about the location and environment of the Great Plains in order to produce a map outlining the region in formal terms. In Part II, students examine how the region has been…

In this lesson, students work with primary documents and latter-day photographs to recapture the experience of traveling on the Oregon Trail. The learning objectives of the lesson are: (1) to learn about the pioneer experience on the Oregon Trail; (2) to evaluate a historical re-enactment in light of documentary evidence; and (3) to synthesize…

Book Club started over 12 years ago with the goal of creating an alternative context for reading instruction--one that would get students excited about reading and discussing books. Since then, Book Club's combination of excellent literature, relevant writing activities, and student-led discussion groups has proven effective in classrooms. This…