By incorporating writing into everyday math activities, elementary students become better communicators and learn to express themselves, mathematically and otherwise, with more confidence and clarity. An elementary teacher presents several successful writing activities from her math classroom, including a math word web, a guided-response sheet,…

In an effort to improve the student literacy, a school district in Mississippi implemented the semantic-mapping or cognitive-mapping approach, using the Thinking Networks for Reading and Writing package which provides software, text activities, and semantic maps. Library media specialists played a major role in the project as teacher-trainers,…

Reviews the history of writing across the curriculum programs and examines two instructional orientations, the general writing approach, which views writing as a unique tool for consolidating learning; and the discipline-specific approach, which focuses on the function or social purposes for writing. (DMM)

Unlike traditional instruction, which emphasizes basic skills mastery as a gateway to more challenging coursework, the interdisciplinary, thematic, team-based humanitas program at Los Angeles Unified School District stresses that all students can learn from a conceptual approach. The key is teacher collaboration. Attendance rates have improved…

Reviews the literature dealing with information technology (IT) in preservice teacher education in the United Kingdom and the United States. Highlights include cross-curricular uses of IT; students' use of IT with pupils; professional development of teacher education instructors; and managing IT development within a college. (Contains 88…

Reggio Emilia's pioneering effort in preschool education has been widely replicated throughout Italy, where almost 90% of nation's children aged 3-6 enroll in national, municipal, private preschools. These preschools are unlike any in the United States. There are no building principals or school boards. America must invest more time, money, and…

Asserts that children's literature which explores geographic themes such as place and movement can foster real life applications of mathematics and social studies. Presents a review of 14 books grouped thematically to illustrate possibilities for integrating mathematics throughout the social studies curriculum. (CFR)

Presents recommended resources for implementing activities in social mathematics, an instructional approach created by combining numerical information with social studies concepts. Describes ways to generate historical timelines, create family histories, and collect and interpret numerical data. (CFR)

Maintains that the concept of scale is fundamental to geography, yet the definitions for scale and other spatial terms are confusing to researchers in other spatial science disciplines. Provides a terminology of scale that can be used for a multidisciplinary lexicon of accepted scaling terms. (CFR)

This article reviews the use of transdisciplinary teaming and integrated therapy for young children with multiple disabilities. It presents examples and suggestions for implementation, in the areas of flexibility, Individualized Education Program development, and parent participation. (JDD)

Asserts that holidays offer excellent opportunities to teach about cultural diversity and enrich the social studies curriculum. Provides five activities for teaching about holidays in elementary schools. Includes three charts keyed to the activities. (CFR)

Describes the revised social studies curriculum at Wausau West High School (Wisconsin). Discusses interdisciplinary cooperation among teachers, team teaching, and emphasis on higher order thinking skills. Contends that flexible scheduling and varying class size contribute to the program's effectiveness. (CFR)

Reviews the 10-part video series, "Geography in U.S. History," designed to integrate geographic concepts into secondary U.S. history instruction. Contends that several of the programs are excellent whereas others have major limitations. Provides an overview and evaluation of each video. (CFR)

Presents follow-up activities to learning scientific concepts that utilize concepts from books obtained from the school library. Suggests seven books and related science activities involving shadows, force, animals, nature, dinosaurs, machines, and mirror reflections. (Contains 10 references.) (MDH)

Describes the critical case review strategy, which is designed to help case management teams evaluate decisions and actions. A three-step review process is applied to team meetings concerning two sample cases of elementary students with special needs. Principles learned from using the process with five teams are identified, such as the need for…