Assesses peers' perceptions of supportive and conflicted teacher student relationships; evaluations of children's positive and negative attributes; and peer-rated liking. Both Teacher Support and Teacher Conflict made independent contributions to peer evaluations of children's competencies and acceptance of children. Discusses implications of…

Argues that the historical development of written narrative during the past century confounds traditional distinctions between fiction and nonfiction. Argues that students need to develop cognitive complexity. Outlines a sequence of assignments intended to destabilize students' assumptions about the difference between reality and fantasy, fiction…

Considers how educators can all learn how to better help second-language learners, cultural outsiders, and students they often do not have time to know. Describes how one girl's desire to succeed collides with cultural roadblocks to contribute to her lack of literacy. Presents a list of nine strategies for achieving inclusive classroom…

Presents the history and explains the basics of hydroponics. Discusses the two categories of hydroponic systems, water-culture systems and media-based systems. (YDS)

Two articles focus on (1) how to plan successful, equitable, and inclusive school parties that move beyond conventional classroom parties and (2) how to bridge cultures in order to connect Spanish speaking families to English speaking schools. Two sidebars present tips for planning successful parties and involving limited- and non-English speaking…

Explored 122 children's perceptions of their child care experiences in classrooms of varied quality. Found that children verbalized accurate understanding of procedures, events, and activities, but responses differed by classroom quality. Play was the favorite activity of all children in all classrooms. Mean behaviors, circle time, and nap time…

Provides general guidelines for using historical reenactments to teach elementary school social studies, focusing on the French colonization in America. Discusses the use of older student mentors, parent volunteers, and first-person historical presentations. Describes benefits to learners, strategies for reenactment, and evaluation procedures.…

Uses a formative experiment design to learn about ways in which a teacher used questioning strategies to help students expand their intertextual boundaries during discussions about literature. Concludes that the use of a questioning framework such as the Directed Reading-Connecting Activity helps teachers organize their thoughts before discussions…

Presents diary excerpts that emerged from two separate teaching experiences with fifth and second graders. Reflects on the author's efforts to communicate the wonder of language and imagination to students. Concludes that by taking account of his own lessons as well as the students' responses to the exercises, the author discovered in a new light…

Presents a research project examining the use of teaching-learning activities. Gives an illustrative example of a teaching-learning activity that worked. Presents selected software for computer teaching-learning activities. Suggests that the effectiveness of teaching-learning activities is contingent upon the nature of the classroom culture in…

Although there is a strong case for teaching economics at the middle school level, there are practical hurdles to making that goal a reality. Academic economists, who are well trained in economic theory and its applications, are not trained, generally, in the theory and application of effective curriculum development and teaching methods for the…

Text rendering is a method of deconstructing text that allows students to make decisions regarding the importance of the text, select the portions that are most meaningful to them, and then share it with classmates--all without fear of being ridiculed. The research on students constructing meaning from text is clear. In order for knowledge to…

An important component in the early stages of skill development is spatial awareness. This article discusses how good spatial awareness in children results from concepts that are reinforced throughout the school's curriculum. Activities for developing spatial awareness are also provided.

One of the most basic concepts related to force and motion is Newton's first law, which essentially states, "An object at rest tends to remain at rest unless acted on by an unbalanced force. An object in motion in a straight line tends to remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force." Judging by the time and space…

When one thinks of a "concept map," they usually think of a chartlike graphic that describes a concept and its various relationships, with general concepts at the top, specific supporting concepts toward the bottom, and words and lines showing the connections and flow between the concepts. Some think of concept maps as tools for teachers of upper…