This book shares the findings of a study of one teacher, Ann, and her eighth-grade classes of 123 readers who participated in a multicultural literature unit. A feature of the study was that the majority of the students were white--that is, the dominant culture--and studied novels representing nondominant cultures. The study's purpose was to find…

A study explored the impact of student voices on a preservice "teaching language arts in elementary schools" methods course when students have the opportunity to negotiate and expand the notions of content, structure, and assessment of a course, especially with the infusion of media/technology as a vehicle of instruction and assessment.…

The Exceptional Athlete Matters (World T.E.A.M.) Sports (WTS) brings individuals together to undertake unique athletic events throughout the world to encourage, promote, and develop opportunities in sports for people, with and without disabilities. This classroom program on character education provides teachers with lesson plans on three themes…

This two-volume resource guide is designed to help K-6 and ESL teachers implement multicultural whole language learning through thematic social studies units. The four chapters in Volume 1 address universal themes: (1) "Climates and Seasons: Watching the Weather"; (2) "Trees and Plants: Our Rich, Green World"; (3) "Animals around the World: Tame,…

In 1875, a man fishing in the isolated Trout River of California discovered several large gold nuggets. This lesson plan asks fourth-grade students to develop a plan to avoid another 1849 gold rush. The plan is to design a new town while considering transportation, housing, food and goods for the miners, and the preservation of the area's…

The Arctic is covered with ice and snow for most of the year. Animals that live in Alaska's arctic region must be able to survive long winters and very cold temperatures. Surprisingly, many animals live in the harsh, cold climate. This first-grade activity plan helps students learn about the animals of the far north. The plan gives six steps for…

For social studies teachers, good social studies requires good reading, writing, and mathematics skills. In addition, the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) administers reading, writing, and mathematics assessments to students at specific grade levels. Through many years of working together with their classes and with the "We the…

This unit of study is geared toward a heterogeneous eighth grade language arts class. The unit's goal is to show students that the American story chronicled in "My Brother Sam Is Dead" is not simply a story about a series of events that occurred in the past but about taking pride in your heritage and not being afraid to fight back when…

In 2002, the Michigan State Board of Education asked the Department of Education to develop grade-by-grade "content expectations" in reading/English language arts and mathematics to provide guidance to local educators and parents and serve as the basis for annual assessments required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of…

Providing help to teachers and schools attempting to achieve the vision of the Kentucky Educational Reform Act (KERA) which shifts the focus of instruction to student use and application of knowledge, this paper presents a sample course outline as a starting point for course development. The paper begins with one example of a course description…

This guide focuses on teaching hands-on, discovery-oriented physical science in the elementary classroom using children's literature. Each lesson is an integrated learning episode with a clearly defined science content objective which is supported and enriched through literature, writing, and mathematics. The three sections are: (1) "Properties of…

This publication focuses on new standards for language arts (reading, writing, representing, viewing, speaking, and listening) designed to create opportunities for middle and high school students to develop skills and become more literate readers. The book presents 60 activities based on popular novels for young people, including complete…

Intended for teachers of middle school, this book offers information and activities to help students appreciate and value world events from the perspective of diverse human cultures. The goals are to provide interdisciplinary and multicultural activities that integrate language, reading, and writing skills into the five content areas of social…

This lesson for grade 12 is designed to increase student awareness of citizen participation elements of democracy. Students assume the teacher's role and design a lesson to teach citizen participation in democracy, including methods to combat citizen apathy. Students are provided with background information, detailed instructions, on-line…

This book is designed for overextended librarians and for those who are looking for fresh approaches to what they have been doing for years. The intent in the book is to incorporate traditional techniques, such as storytelling and puppetry, with the use of technology, particularly the Internet--many different learning styles are incorporated to…