This facilitator's guide is designed to assist professional learning communities (PLCs) in applying evidence-based strategies to help K-8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically. Through this collaborative learning experience, educators will expand their knowledge base as they read, discuss, share,…

These handouts, which are meant to accompany the facilitator's guide, are designed to assist professional learning communities (PLCs) in applying evidence-based strategies to help K-8 English learners acquire the language and literacy skills needed to succeed academically. The facilitator's guide uses a five-step process for collaborative…

This teaching unit is composed of six parts: (1) content outline, (2) unit goals, (3) objectives, (4) activities, (5) evaluation plan, and (6) bibliography. The content of the unit centers on the lives of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Specifically it investigates what made these men exceptional heroes, and it differentiates between facts…

This third grade teaching unit on the USSR covers an introduction to the Soviet Union and its people, its government, daily lifestyles, folk culture, and geography. Skill goals deal with telling the difference between facts and opinions, comparing cultures, and integrating and applying information from various topics about the Soviet Union to…

This is a third-grade teaching unit on large cities (megalopolises) in the United States. The components of the unit are: (1) a content outline, (2) unit goals, (3) unit objectives, (4) activities, (5) unit evaluation, and (6) bibliography. The content of the unit focuses on defining a megalopolis, noting what can be found in it, its special…

As part of a study of ecology, students in a second and third grade classroom developed board games. The research, creation, rule making, naming, and testing of several games are described. The games' levels of abstraction, presentation of factual information, content, and potential for sustained interest are considered. (LB)

Third- and fourth-grade volunteers created two large murals at Nishuane Elementary School. This article is one of four in this issue on elementary mural projects. (SJL)

Reports on a study of the attitudes of 542 students in grades 3-6 toward singing and choir participation in relation to grade level, gender, classroom singing activities, previous singing experience, and degree of singing skill. Finds that most subjects indicated a positive attitude toward singing, but less than half were interested in choral…

Designed to provide a more positive learning experience in the area of third grade social studies, this project was concerned with improving the effectiveness of textbooks, developing critical thinking skills, providing group learning situations, and using the computer as an educational tool. Chapter 1 contains the outline of the research proposal…

Ideas for using children's literature suggest ways to extend and enrich the elementary school social studies curriculum beyond the adopted textbook or scope and sequence developed in a local school district or at the state level. The focus of kindergarten through grade three is the study of family and communities and the acquisition of individual…