Describes how a purposeful, creative use of show and tell can help develop students' speaking, listening, and thinking skills. (DD)

A school's inability to assimilate an unusually intelligent student is described. (PBS)

Notes that competitions can excite and motivate students in reading and writing. Lists a sampling of such competitions, appropriate for students of all ages, and offers tips about participation. (SR)

Defines the "how-to book" genre, and describes a how-to book-writing project with four high school English classes. Notes that writing how-to books links high school students' literacy development and achievement to their interests and provides a purpose for writing. Analyzes the project in connection to authentic instruction and…

Argues that reading aloud is an important motivational strategy for primary school children as well as secondary school children. Discusses ways of carrying out this worthwhile activity. (SR)

Describes a project in which high school students developed promotional magazines for local businesses, thus experiencing business operations and developing social skills while researching a product. Notes that students take responsibility for their learning and make connections between school and workplace knowledge. (SR)

Describes a second-grade classroom project to collect pennies to buy playground equipment. The unit combined practical, hands-on experiences and reflected six standards from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Curriculum Standards. (MKR)

Discusses the value of historical fiction, using historical fiction to teach history and to teach literature, and activities using historical fiction. Offers a sample approach using the book "Underground to Canada," and notes cautions in using historical fiction. (SR)

Presents a sequence of mathematics lessons for middle school students that incorporates multicultural versions of the Cinderella story while students learn mathematical objectives related to classification and logical thinking. (SR)

Offers strategies for integrating poetry throughout the year and throughout the curriculum, including suggestions for creating a back-to-school poem and capturing scenes of nature in haiku. Student pages offer a primary poem coloring worksheet and an intermediate haiku worksheet. (SM)

Discusses how Felix Adler's Ethical Culture School, through its innovative practices, impacts public education and settlement work, and plays a significant role in shaping the methodologies, practices, and content of educational drama in the United States from the inception of the field. Describes the use of story dramatization/storytelling,…

Suggests that teachers should try to use a source-based approach to teaching vocabulary. Explains that a source-based approach starts with basic concepts of human languages and then works with lexical and metaphorical extensions of these basic words. Notes that the purpose of this approach is to find groups of words that can be taught as webs and…

Discusses some of the rich possibilities for students to engage in communication through the Internet. Offers a cautionary tale, one that sets the scene for fostering effective student communication. Describes Internet resources for engaging students in online communication, and presents ideas for curricular integration. (RS)

Discusses the motivational and other aspects of struggling readers. Notes classroom practices that are barriers to struggling readers in many middle schools. Presents motivation theory as a basis of the authors' proposed engagement model of classroom practice. Proposes six aspects of teaching and classroom context that represent their model of…

Encourages teachers or school librarians to conduct a lesson in visual literacy by having children examine book design. Discusses book jackets and endpapers as book design elements, and highlights illustrations from five children's picture books. (PEN)