Describes a writing assignment which allows students to exercise creativity communicating set facts while utilizing narrative techniques covered in class (sentence variety, dominant impressions, narrative action, detailing, etc.), and in which peers judge how effectively and consistently the information was communicated, illuminating the…

Argues that quality children's books represent effective and accessible avenues for inviting children to explore issues related to older adults and the aging process. Discusses and lists such books and offers suggestions for related activities. (NH)

Presents short descriptions of six "curious places" in children's books and films. Describes sample creative class activities for younger and middle grade children to engage in after listening to selected stories. Activities include creating drawings, stories, flip books, and picture books; role-playing; and developing an imaginary town.…

Discusses the purpose of alternative assessment in language arts classes in the middle school setting. Notes how alternative assessments encourage higher order thinking skills, provide an alternative to failure, encourage students to experiment, and keep teachers interested. Provides directions and scoring guides for examples of alternative…

Describes the incorporation of David Macaulay's picture book "Castle" in the middle school social studies class. Considers one teacher's use of the book in class and details frameworks for supporting students' understanding of the text, including teaching for understanding and a scaffolded reading experience. (JPB)

Discusses how curriculum can be designed so that it has the transforming power to change lives and transform words and actions, especially through literature study. Describes a group of third-graders' transactions with Patricia Polacco's "Chicken Sunday" to show how a "narrative curriculum" can be transformative. Discusses distinctive features of…

Describes how two different middle school teachers transformed the study of vocabulary in their classrooms by engaging students' interest in words, moving the study of vocabulary into students' worlds through theatre and through word tickets and a student-created museum. (SR)

Describes how one high school English teacher developed and taught a unit that would give students the opportunity to see how violence and nonviolence affects their lives. Notes the unit involves discussing the lives and careers of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., viewing film clips and film, reading, writing in journals, and writing a…

Discusses the use of Channel One television news broadcasts in the middle school classroom, focusing on the circumstances under which students learn from Channel One, attitudes toward Channel One, and implications for teachers who wish to make effective instructional use of the programming. (JPB)

Discusses why the classics can be difficult to teach in high schools. Offers suggestions for making difficult literature more approachable for high school students by scaffolding students' engagement with classic texts; building background knowledge; developing vocabulary; facilitating the reading of the text; and through enrichment an extension.…

Describes two class activities which used a computer software program to allow junior and senior high students to discuss and create on computers, electronically, in real time. Describes an online discussion in a large group, as well as a pairing activity in which two students worked together online to create an original poem. (SR)

Offers 50 diverse suggestions intended to offer students new ways to think about a piece of literature, new directions to explore, and ways to respond with greater depth to the books they read. (SR)

Presents brief annotations of 61 books of young adult historical fiction and nonfiction that address other time periods (biblical time period, the 1700s, the 1800s, the 20th century, political unrest overseas, and chronicles) that could be used in the classroom as part of a unit of study. Describes possible activities using five of the books. (SR)

Describes how the author used sequenced assignments (and a range of other strategies) to engage students in genuine inquiry; to remove as much of the fear as possible from the research process; and to put the emphasis on process, not on product. (SR)

Demonstrates how K-W-L (a simple strategy for developing reading comprehension by activating what you Know, determining what you Want to learn, and assessing what you Learned) can be further enhanced by incorporating focus questions into the basic procedure. Uses a lesson on "Learning with Visuals" to show how this can be done. (SR)