An artist-in-residence helped junior high school art students design, engineer, and construct an outdoor sculpture for their school in Ft. Dodge, Iowa. The project was actively supported by the community, with funding coming from the local Fine Arts Council and supplies donated by a lumber company. (IS)

Because of concern about the preservation of the historic character of Stamford (Connecticut), children in a pilot program at an elementary school learned about neighborhood history, sketched houses, researched houses which had been torn down and drew and constructed replicas of them, and learned about renovation and period interior design. (IS)

Because research shows that children model themselves after the adults around them, the importance of the teacher as a role model is emphasized. Teachers and students should examine the lives and actions of role models of empathic behavior, and children need to become involved in their own prosocial action projects. (RM)

Using the rattles of Native American cultures as inspiration, students used pinching, coiling, and slab and molding techniques to form the bodies of rattles and clay pellets for sound. Surface decoration included glazed and unglazed areas as well as added handles, feathers, and leather. (IS)

Describes Project Design, a curriculum concept being implemented in Ontario schools, in which groups of students are given the opportunity to contribute to the selection and design of a material object or system which they subsequently construct, test, and evaluate. Project focus in on basic learning experiences which involve multidisciplinary…

The article presents recent data on food waste in the United States, shows how several schools have built upon these data and on student interest in the subject, and suggests ways to utilize the study of food waste to stimulate learning in nutrition and in critical thinking about societal issues. (Author/AJ)

Describes a one-week camping trip to Acadia National Park (Maine) as a non-credit educational experience. Includes activities such as population studies in intertidal zones, wild life sketching, nature list hikes (forest devastation by fire, beaver ponds, glacial ponds and streams), fishing and clamming rips, and student projects. (CS)

This paper shares findings from a formative evaluation that explores a professional development program, Intel[R] Teach to the Future Workshop on Interactive Thinking Tools. The Workshop trains K-12 teachers how to use online tools with their students, which are designed to foster higher-order thinking skills, and combine technology and…

Increasingly, the innovative teaching approach of the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, are being adapted to U.S. early childhood settings. This book describes the growth and evolution of the work in the St. Louis Reggio Collaborative over the past 10 years, addressing the fundamental principles of the Reggio approach as they are experienced in…

Proving that project work can be done with young children who are schooled in a full-immersion program in a second language, this article describes a study of bones undertaken by 5-year-old children in a bilingual school in Mexico City. The article discusses the process and shows the results achieved by the children during the three phases of the…

The Civil War was the first American war thoroughly caught on film. Mathew Brady and his crew of photographers captured many images of this divisive war, ranging from portraits to battle scenes. These photographs--over 1,000--are in the American Memory Collection's "Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865." This lesson plan asks…

This book presents some basic realities about teaching the gifted and talented pupil such as: (1) Most gifted and talented children are educated in their local primary school; (2) A primary teacher will probably have children in their class capable of gifted and/or talented behaviours; and (3) One of the most difficult aspects of being a primary…

In this lesson, students examine issues surrounding hate crimes. Students read and discuss an article on hate crimes. In small groups, students role play state legislators and supporters and opponents of hate-crime legislation who must discuss and vote on a bill designed to increase sentences for hate crimes. Following an overview, the lesson plan…

Distributed collaboration supported by different forms of information and communication technologies (ICT) is becoming increasingly widespread. Effective realization of technology supported, distributed collaboration requires learning and careful attention to both technological and organizational aspects of the collaboration. Despite increasing…

This collection of essays by inspired and inspiring writing teachers from around the world is designed for teachers who want to expand their students' worlds through writing. The essays answer questions about how to motivate students to do their best writing, how to help them publish their writing, and how students can achieve successful results…