By immersing young learners in the life and times of Shakespeare and his characters, this book motivates students and helps them learn. It contains everything teachers need to introduce elementary students to four plays: "A Midsummer Night's Dream,""Macbeth,""Hamlet," and "Romeo and Juliet." For each play,…

Drama through Mother Goose nursery rhymes can be integrated in the pre-K-3 curriculum. Activities can range from spontaneous gestures and facial expression, to guided performance where a teacher might have specific objectives in mind and rehearse a rhyme for formal performance. Activities include unison or choral speaking; "line-a-child"…

Intended for teachers of grades K-2, this book is a practical resource manual designed to provide step-by-step suggestions for assessing and instructing students' phonics skills and strategies. It presents phonological awareness as a foundation and preparation for phonics instruction and integrates the two so they become reciprocal. In addition,…

This paper provides a brief literature review on the use of building blocks in the elementary school classroom and discusses classroom activities using blocks as they influence other subject areas. The paper includes work activities that develop mathematics and science skills, language arts and reading, and social sciences. Comments on these…

Presenting many listening activities, this paper discusses reading and listening development in elementary school. It lists five pointers to stress in developing pupils who listen well and gives a set of criteria to provide a framework to use in evaluating pupil achievement in listening. The paper lists six items teacher assistants should listen…

This performance guide is designed to help teachers prepare students to see the Sogolon Marionettes performing one of two stories from the West African country of Mali. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains four activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) About the Performance (offering a performance overview of the stories, and…

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "Borrowed Black: A Labrador Fantasy," by the Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven reproducible activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Story (orienting students to the…

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "The Book of Miracles," by David S. Craig and Robert Morgan. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) What Happens in "The Book of Miracles?" (introducing the…

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, adapted by Warren Frost and dramatized for the Kennedy Center by Nick Olcott. It is in the form of a Director's Notebook--a scrapbook/journal of clippings, memos, lists, illustrations, notes, and other…

This performance guide is designed for teachers to use with students before and after a performance of Judy Blume's "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," adapted for the stage by Bruce Mason. The guide, called a "Cuesheet," contains seven activity sheets for use in class, addressing: (1) The Story (offering a brief introduction to…

William Shakespeare has influenced most, if not all, Western playwrights. His techniques, themes, characters, and plots are contained in much of what is produced today, from television to Broadway. This teacher's guide provides summaries of the plays "The Merchant of Venice" and "Othello," essays, and corresponding student…

Successful approaches to a more theatrical classroom performance of literature initially depend on a student performer's critical ability to analyze literature and the creative ability to ultimately give voice and body to a literary character. An imaginative Reader's Theater classroom exercises blueprint is also an essential ingredient in…

Arguing that the ability to write effectively hinges upon having an adequate vocabulary, this digest explores some of the ways vocabulary influences writing ability, and how teachers can use vocabulary development specifically to improve writing skills. The digest suggests that the breadth and depth of a student's vocabulary will have a direct…

This collection of 38 sea shanties is suitable for singers of all ages and can be adapted for group singing in the classroom. The song collection comes in a spiral-bound book and includes chord symbols and simple harmonies, as well as background information on shanties, illustrations, and a glossary of nautical terms to help to make the songs come…

Five elementary school teachers give their ideas to best utilize various news media in the classroom. (GB)