Notes that when introduced with care, haiku has the potential to become the virtual jack-of-all teaching tools. Describes how the author introduces haiku to her students. Suggests that haiku provides students with an uncluttered opportunity to apply alliteration to their writing. (SG)

Provides an understanding of thematic maps and how they might be used to teach hypothesis testing. (RS)

Discusses a document structure called "nested lists" which allows an increased amount of information to be presented in a fixed amount of space while also maintaining its usability. (RS)

Describes how to make and use "fold-a-books," a format which provides a page layout template to create inexpensive books in any subject area. (SR)

This article describes science activities which introduce students to the mechanics of sound while encouraging class musicians to share their expertise. A reproducible activity sheet is included. (IAH)

Class activities designed to instruct young students in the use of the metric system of measurement are illustrated on a larger poster. Ideas for measuring, thinking and writing in metric are presented for children of different ages. (JD)

Describes how literature teachers can enliven Shakespeare's "Macbeth" by performing Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking episode (Act 5, Scene 1) with their class. Provides a lesson plan to set up and discuss the performance. Notes that this lesson lets students view a Shakespearean play from both theatrical and academic perspective. (MM)

Describes how the story "Miss Nelson Is Missing" provides an excellent opportunity for students to contrast and evaluate characters, do an independent writing activity, and create a puppet to represent the double identity of Miss Nelson. (MM)

Describes the subtle changes a writing teacher makes throughout the year as she shifts to a writer's workshop approach in which students choose their own topics, their own genre, determine their own pace, and expand or contract the time allotted to each task as required. (RS)

This teacher contends that a big part of culture is food and that what we eat and the way in which food is grown, prepared, and celebrated varies greatly from culture to culture. Ideas for teaching strategies that use gardens to explore multiculturalism are provided. (LZ)

Discusses mask building as a theatrical exercise. Provides a simple method for building masks. Outlines a format for the classes that follow mask construction, in which a character is gradually built to suit the finished mask, including the birthing process, physical character and voice development, getting to know the character, and what happens…

Provides planning information for class field trips, including advice on teacher preparation, travel arrangements, rules for walking, parent notification, and preparation of the children. (HTH)

Discusses two passages from novels (Sheri Tepper's "After Long Silence" and Cynthia Voight's "A Solitary Blue") that feature music. Discusses ways language arts teachers might use these passages in the classroom. (SR)

Discusses a class activity in which students engage in a mock trial based on a hypothetical charge that could have developed from the plot of a novel. Discusses the six-step process, and the five procedures and requirements. Suggests that students win more than just the case--they win the knowledge of process. (RS)

Describes using a novel ("The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros) in a freshman developmental education course. Argues that the novel keeps the students focused and interested. Suggests that all outside reading support the novel's theme and that all writing assignments relate to the same theme. (SR)