Investigates how teachers would use "Amos and Boris," a picture book of recognized literary merit, with children. Asks 19 teachers what they would want children to take away from the book, what questions they would use to stimulate discussion, and how they would help children revisit the book. (SR)

Relates a poet's experiences in graduate school, and the poetry he wrote in the 1970s. Discusses methods and techniques for poetry writing in the classroom. Suggests topics for a series of poetry exercises: moebius strip, poetry sights, shadow poems, poetry chair, chopstick quatrains, poetry shirt, poem wrapping the school, word beads, and a haiku…

Describes how a high school English teacher helped her students learn about background knowledge, organization, metacognition, discussion, and writing by experimentally investigating their own learning. Notes that this approach helped students feel more ownership in their work and in their own knowledge about learning. (SR)

Presents video production techniques, tricks, tips, and phrases to help high school teachers and students become video literate. Highlights include six basic camera movements, three basic camera angles, and a list of projects and discussion ideas for production classes. (JMV)

Discusses field trip preparation involving identifying places to visit, communicating with contacts at the sites, enlisting the help of parents, preparing parents, preparing students, and planning follow-up activities. (SW)

Advocates teaching Braille to sighted children as a strategy for raising awareness and promoting a positive view of blindness. Explains what Braille is, and outlines a classroom lesson that can be used in the primary grades to teach about the use of Braille. Promotes the view that blindness is a characteristic rather than a handicap. (DR)

Notes that musical aptitude is not developed or nurtured through mere "exposure" to music but through active participation in singing and moving to music. Provides a rationale and suggestions for teaching singing in early childhood classrooms. (HTH)

Argues that playing the role of a "boss" instead of an "instructor" and using workplace conventions rather than academic policies to govern a class can lead students to write, speak, and behave more professionally. Describes how one teacher applied the boss approach in an introductory business communication course. Provides assignment topics,…

Describes a job search project for business communication students where they are required to use the resources of their university's career planning and placement center. (SR)

Describes how a fifth-grade social studies class used poems by Langston Hughes and integrated literature, drama, music, and dance to make history more human and meaningful for students. (SR)

A children's book author explains why she chose to write "Encounter," an accurate story of Christopher Columbus's first meeting with the gentle Taino tribe 500 years ago. The article presents suggestions for using "Encounter" as a springboard for activities to help elementary students interpret history. (SM)

Presents ideas for creating classroom libraries, noting how to set up a library (create a space, build and organize the collection, and set rules), where to find books at bargain prices (e.g., garage sales, libraries, book clubs, and grants), basic books to include, and information on authors and illustrators. (SM)

Describes oral presentations and writing assignments for an upper-division course in management information systems. Presents students' reaction to these activities. (MM)

Ways are outlined to help students read their textbooks and do homework exercises effectively, know when they really understand the material, pinpoint what they do not understand, and know when they need help. Suggestions are offered for incorporating student training and practice in study strategies. A sample worksheet is appended. (25…

A lively classroom activity is described in which high school students, each receiving a word-card, generate their own sentences in German by combining their own word with the previous student's word. The cards, with words taken from the textbook vocabulary, encourage active, spontaneous utterances within the structure and logical sequence of the…