Presents a pathfinder to help elementary school teachers connect to the Internet. Includes basics of the Internet; links to other helpful Web sites; lesson plans ready to use in the classroom; sites with resources for teachers to create their own lesson plans; North Carolina resources; and print resources. (LRW)

Describes a writing assignment based on a teacher-created scenario in which students discover a box (when visiting their grandmother's sister) containing a number of strange items including a written proposal for marriage. (TB)

This activity explores two types of plastic molding and allows students to make their own plastic bottles. (MKR)

Curriculum mapping, a procedure for reconstructing what has been taught, should not replace teachers' daily lesson plans. For instructional supervision purposes, however, systematically reviewing teachers' curriculum maps might replace monitoring of lesson plans. The procedure can help departments of education ascertain whether basic skill…

Provides a lesson plan for solving a standard optimization problem using the TI-92 calculator. Screenshots from the calculator are included. (MM)

Provides a collection of calculator-based lessons developed by teachers for use in their daily mathematics lessons. Features whole class teacher-led activities, small group activities, and games. Provides teaching suggestions for the activities and general information about teaching with calculators. Includes a reference to a fuller online…

Social studies is about preparing our children to be active participants in the social, economic and political worlds of adults in the future. It is also about making children aware that they can influence the choices that people around them make and that their current decisions have consequences too. Their responsiveness to issues that are…

The new school year is, first and foremost, an opportunity for a new start. If you're among the fortunate ones who had a vacation and time to reflect this summer, you've surely considered ways to be more effective in the classroom and make life easier at home this year. There are many ideas and activities that fit the bill, but there's one that…

When one of the author's education students showed her third-grade students some peanuts her uncle had grown, she immediately recognized the teachable moment. Students immediately bombarded her with questions: Where do peanuts come from? Who cleans them? How are they used besides eating? Are all nuts alike? Do nuts grow on trees? All three…

Along with the awesome responsibility to teach science content and inquiry comes a responsibility to nurture an understanding of the nature of science. Just what is nature of science? As simple as this statement sounds, the term in and of itself is not readily agreed upon in scientific communities. For K-12 and science education communities,…

Children come to schools each day feeling many of the stressors that would normally be attributed to adult experiences. At an early age, children are confronted with situations that may make them anxious or begin to doubt their self-worth. Teachers can help children learn to manage their stress by helping them become more aware of negative…

This article features Paul Edelman, a former teacher who develops the teacherspayteachers.com to bring experienced educators' battle-tested classroom materials to other teachers willing to pay for them. Putting course materials online is not a revolutionary idea--many other sites offer curriculum resources for teachers. What's new and different is…

Teaching students the intelligent behaviors they need to succeed in school and later in life is much easier when you have this collection of stories and observations from teachers who have used the principles of ASCD's book "Learning and Leading with Habits of Mind" in their classrooms. Through these first-hand accounts, learn how the habits of…

The declining cost of computers and wireless networks has made laptop programs more affordable than ever. At the same time, the internet resources available to teachers and students have grown exponentially in the 15 years since web browsers first became practical. As a result of these trends, growing numbers of students nationwide are provided…