Describes the Teaching with Historic Places Project, a cooperative effort of the National Park Service and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Explains the project's background and the factors that served as criteria for the lesson plans developed by classroom teachers and project staff. Includes information on obtaining the lesson…

Describes a Russian approach of using literature to make physics instruction more interesting and attractive to students. (PR)

Reports on a study of the geographic content in 44 secondary school U.S. and European Advanced Placement history lessons. States that 75% of 550 references to geographic content were categorized as "passing references," not "substantive references." Concludes that core geographic concepts that enable students to understand and…

A guide for teachers and librarians covering over 50 Spanish-language books that introduce children to various animals; the world around them; colors, shapes, and numbers; the universe; basic science concepts; and the process of conception, pregnancy, and birth. (MDH)

Focuses on three approaches to integrated instruction: (1) literature-based; (2) theme-based; and (3) project-based. Each approach is explained and illustrated through descriptions of successful classroom examples. Literature-based integration utilizes a story to build a unit, thematic units are built around a topic, and project-based integration…

Outlines and discusses a series of activities using puppet theater to explore social community issues. Draws inspiration from the street theater of the 1960s that used puppetry and engaged the audience in lively conversations during productions. Includes instructions for building puppets and suggestions for plays and performance material. (MJP)

Describes the role of cross-disciplinary research in practice and policy for middle-grades education. Argues that for a research agenda to have an impact, it must be a coordinated effort among educators, content area specialists, health educators, psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, and medical researchers; and coordination must be…

Examines student values and process-based, constructivist courses in environmental education. Results suggest that most education majors hold pro-environmental values but frequently do not act upon them. Argues that, to remove this inconsistency between values and practice, courses in environmental education and education for sustainability should…

Argues that the greatest constraints to the effective implementation of environmental education in Uganda's elementary schools include the elitist nature of the education system, teacher preparation, materials development, and curricula with little relevance to local communities. Recommendations to solve these problems include strengthening…

The Technology Enhancing Achievement in Middle School (TEAMS) instructional model is an instructional approach in which technology plays an integral part in the curriculum. This article describes why TEAMS was developed, how instructional units are organized, presents key elements of the model, and first year results. Includes a sample sixth grade…

Liberty High School is a one-year transitional school in New York City dedicated to helping immigrant students feel welcome, adjust to their new environment, learn to read and write in English, and become self-assured. Led by a "hands-on" principal, the school specializes in life skills and free clinic referrals. (MLH)

Relates the story of the creation of an exploratory art technology class at Hadley Junior High School (Illinois) and its development over the past decade. Describes the equipment required to conduct the course, resources available for teachers creating similar courses, and student projects. Suggests ways to make the course multidisciplinary. (DSK)

Develops a multifaceted definition of faculty trust at three organizational levels in a survey of urban elementary teachers. Along with willingness to risk vulnerability, five faces of trust emerged: benevolence, reliability, competence, honesty, and openness. When teachers trust their principals, they usually trust one other and their clients.…

Describes a team-taught unit of study for 7th and 8th graders that used children's and young adult literature to integrate language arts and social studies to teach students about the United States Civil War. Offers an overview of the unit, describes a typical class period, discusses the role of reflective journals, and offers student and teacher…

A professor at Middlebury College (Vermont) discusses the benefits of teaching outdoors; the development of a bioregional curriculum that interweaves the indigenous, scientific, and literary lineages of a specific place; the use of journal writing to connect students to local geographies and communities; and the value of place-based education for…