This teaching guide is for use with two novels of young adult literature, "A Far-Off Land" (Rebecca Caudill) and "The Trail on Which They Wept" (Dorothy Hoobler). The teaching guide is divided into three sections: Major Themes (8 themes are listed); Interdisciplinary Topics (9 topics are suggested); and Significant Quotations…

How can poetry be taught in a way that will capture students' imaginations and inspire them to enjoy poetry's rhythms and rhymes? This book presents a fresh approach that will stir young learners' creative spirits and bring an unusual level of personal engagement to the classroom experience. The book contains a myriad of teaching ideas that can be…

Both the poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams and the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights show the power of language as vehicles for message. Using them in class as exercises to look at language and meaning will help students understand the importance of connotation and grammar; the use and validity of sources; and the…

This paper presents 10 extemporaneous presentation assignments which are designed to review, test, and give students practice on every aspect necessary to become an effective public speaker in many situations. The paper begins with a description of the introductory communication course requirements and guidelines for grading of practice…

Including books that might not be discovered or fully appreciated by children without introduction by a knowledgeable adult, this guide presents annotations of more than 80 trade books appropriate for children and adolescents, complete with teachers' suggestions for curriculum use. Entries in the guide are grouped into primary (K-2), intermediate…

Intended to increase the choices available for teachers and children in the classroom, this book helps teachers deal with the ever burgeoning field of children's books. The first section of the book presents 29 themes on a variety of subjects, such as cats, folklore, money and business, Native Americans, science fiction, sports, villains, and…

This book offers an entire year of journaling ideas--some serious, some "silly," but all tied to the calendar year. In fact, the book's sections are the months of the year. Each idea in the book comes with a fact-filled introduction and aims to prove that writing does not have to be boring or dull. As a special feature, many entries in…

This paper presents ways in which critical thinking can be taught in a communication studies class using cultural studies. The understanding of culture provided by E. Hall (who stressed the importance of self-reflexivity) and R. Williams (whose theory of culture involves relations between elements in a whole way of life) is useful to communication…

In "Rhetoric, Discovery and Change" (1970), R. Young, A. Becker, and K. Pike took Carl Rogers' empathetic approach out of the context of one-on-one therapy and put it into the writing classroom. They proposed the now standard formulaic structure of argumentation which emphasizes a strong thesis up front, a detailed account of the…

This book presents bibliographic annotations of 202 picture books and 53 activities for teaching writing. The first part of the book is arranged alphabetically by author within categories of six traits of writing in the analytical assessment model: ideas and content (clarity and focus, rich and vivid details, and a clear sense of purpose),…

This packet of information presents material for journalism educators to use in celebrating Scholastic Journalism Week, February 22-28, 1998. It contains a history of journalism in outline form and in newspaper article format; 13 classroom activities; 11 special activities for outside the classroom; a sample press release; a sample editorial;…

In a democratic society, critical listening should have top priority among the four language skills (speaking, reading, writing, and listening). This paper provides a history of critical listening and an application of critical listening in the classroom for the future citizen's involvement in a democratic society. Six critical listening…

Teachers can take advantage of the appeal and power of Caldecott Award literature to extend and promote learning across the curriculum. This book demonstrates how to use award-winning books as springboards to language arts learning in the library and classroom, and the expansion of student awareness and appreciation of illustration techniques. For…

Noting that Washington Irving's classic tale of the Headless Horseman has lately become a Halloween favorite, this lesson plan helps students explore the artistry that helped make Irving the United States' first literary master, and ponders the mystery of what happened to Ichabod Crane. Its 4 lessons seek to make students able to: (1) summarize…

This book uses art to stimulate content-area language development and writing skills. From A to Z, the 81 animal patterns in the book combine with 35 different activities to enhance the primary curriculum--each student gets a photocopy of the pattern, paper, scissors, and some materials to decorate the "critter." The book's activities…