Explains why portfolios are as important for teachers as they are for students, describing the anatomy of a thorough teacher portfolio. Four teachers share the contents of their portfolios and reasons portfolios are important to them. A reproducible sheet for students, "My Thoughts about This Year," is included. (SM)

Argues that teachers seeking to identify what constitutes a crisis for children must consider the child's response to and feelings about the experience, not just the event itself. Reviews common physical, psychological, and social symptoms of crisis. Discusses ways to help children in crisis while maintaining appropriate boundaries. (PAA)

Investigates how 20 English primary teachers understand the concepts of force and gravity. Uses the interview about instances technique. Finds teachers' views of these concepts are not in accord with accepted scientific interpretations but similar to those of children's views. Discusses implications of the findings. (NL)

Inservice workshop trained fourth- and fifth-grade science specialists and their students organized science demonstrations presented by students from each grade level. Describes demonstrations involving liquid bubbles, magnets, measurement, sound, aerodynamics, environmental protection, and air pollution. (MDH)

This poetry activity helps K-3 teachers increase students' enthusiasm for reading by highlighting personal interests. Students read a baseball poem, discuss the wording, examine how it conveys action, and look for key words. The next day, they read the poem again and write about favorite activities of their own. The baseball poem is attached. (SM)

Three hands-on science activities teach students about plant processes that they normally cannot detect. A K-3 activity has students explore how the presence of water affects plant motion. Two grade 4-6 activities let students see the path water takes through leaves and has students investigate how and why water travels through plants. (SM)

Classroom discipline methods are changing with the times. Assertive Discipline is a 20-year-old program designed to help teachers successfully manage students' behavior. In the 1990s, it involves building a rapport with students and creating a discipline plan at the same time. The paper details the basic principles of the Assertive Discipline…

An experienced supervisor of student and cooperating teachers discusses good mentor qualities, emphasizing the importance of treating student teachers the way one would want to be treated as a student teacher. The paper discusses how to establish a good rapport, work cooperatively, provide flexibility and feedback, conduct evaluations, and…

The Positive Classroom Management program trains teachers to mean business without being dragged into fruitless power struggles and student backtalk. The program helps teachers learn to take control of the situation by remaining calm, thinking before speaking, and using effective body language. (SM)

Presents a strategy called media potluck for teachers who want to use multimedia teaching but do not think they have the resources. The project uses sharing and collaboration to create small, low-tech multimedia centers that can attract additional resources from the school, parents, and community. (SM)

Presents suggestions to assist elementary teachers in engaging their students in investigating real environments to develop true self-esteem and learn to cope with occasional frustration or negative feedback. One sidebar discusses how much self-esteem is enough. Another sidebar suggests questions to ask before praising a child. (SM)

Refusing to be disheartened by all the negative press surrounding education today, Ms. Chenfeld travels the country and encounters one inspiring educator after another. In this article she tells four of their stories. The stories of the following educators are told: (1) Tom Tenerovich, a second grade teacher; (2) Cathy Arment, a first grade…

The 1995 National Teacher of the Year, Elaine Griffin, teaches on Kodiak Island, Alaska. Her experiences reinforce her belief in the importance of strong school-community ties and close relationships between teachers and families. Shared staffing in this remote rural environment has allowed the teachers time away for travel and other experiences.…

"Wheat for Kids" contains information at the elementary school level about: the structure of the wheat kernel; varieties of wheat and their uses; growing wheat; making wheat dough; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid and nutrition; Idaho's part of the international wheat market; recipes; and word games based on the…

A learning center is a defined space where materials are organized in such a way that children learn without the teacher's constant direction. This book offers guidelines that will help preprimary and primary school teachers organize and manage learning centers in the classroom. Chapter 1 describes the advantages of using learning centers and…