Reviews two documentaries produced by the U.S. government: "The Plow That Broke the Plains" (1936) and "The River" (1937). The first examines soil erosion in the Great Plains; the second considers Mississippi River usage. Narrates storylines and explains initial film criticism. Highlights the films' effectiveness for teaching…

This resource gathers together explorations of women's art from Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the United States as a stimulus for interdisciplinary discussion and investigation. Part 1, "Art, Ecology, and Spirituality", focuses on traditional artists from Borneo, India, and Mexico, whose symbolic images are linked to goddesses…

This book is a compilation of year-long thematic curriculum units developed and taught by teachers participating in the third Indiana University Artistically Talented Program (ATP). Units for artistically gifted and talented students, grade 4-12, are developed along guidelines which require that they: focus on complex ideas; use themes as…

Jean-Jacques Rousseau's classic work "Emile" of 1762 is contrasted with Henry G. Giroux's 1981 book "Ideology Culture and the Process of Schooling." Although both Giroux and Rousseau are social critics, their notions about education and its outcome are contrary and not due to historical time alone. This comparative analysis…

The six articles in this focused journal issue are concerned with literature teaching on the secondary and college level. The titles and authors of the articles are as follows: (1) "Aesthetic Reading and Teaching: 'Candide' Revisited" (Michael G. Gauthier); (2) "Discovery: The Role of Subjective Response in Initiating the Literature…

In an interdisciplinary curriculum for adults, four seminars were created that presented literature as reading, encouraged writing, and met the adult concern for relevance and shared learning. The four seminars focused on basic human concerns and relationships in a sequential ladder moving from individual to interpersonal to social and…

Recommends the use of Charlotte K. Brooks' book "Tapping Potential" by English teachers who deal with minority students. Discusses how the book treats everything from language development to reading and writing to literary criticism from the Black aesthetic point of view. (NKA)

Explores the linkages between Thomas Hardy's poem "The Darkling Thrush" and the thrush scene in George Orwell's novel "1984." Suggests a variety of enrichment projects for students that deal with aspects of these two works. (RBW)

Examines types and functions of useful definitions of art in education. Considers the strengths and limitations of functionalist and proceduralist definitions. Identifies art as a concept operating within a culture; therefore, recommends embracing a variety of definitions to be used in contextually significant ways. (MJP)

Proposes using feminist art criticism, rather than the modernist emphasis, to teach art criticism. Outlines three goals for feminist art criticism: social analysis, political activism, and self-knowledge. Examines each goal and its complementarity, stressing a pluralistic approach. Maintains that such criticism promotes socially relevant learning.…

Compares "School Arts" Teacher Viewpoint Surveys of 1990 and 1979 under the headings who responded, students served, what is taught, program enrichment, problems, the artist-teacher role, other professional participation, and curriculum concerns. Describes additional responses to current trends, including multicultural education and…

Postulates that students' untutored and unrehearsed verbatim responses to viewing artworks parallel specific schools of thought in aesthetic theory. Middle school students tape recorded their responses to a previous museum visit. Their responses reflected some of the key concepts in expressivism, institutionalism, and formalism. (MJP)

Presents a sequential curriculum in design education focusing on product design embodying conceptual statements to guide instruction. Discusses conceptual statements for primary, intermediate, and middle school levels. Concludes that the study of design must be an integral part of the art curriculum. (CFR)

Reports on a study of 815 elementary and secondary students and adults on the types of evidence referred to in art historical interpretation. Finds that participants referred to four general types of evidence: (1) artist; (2) viewer; (3) culture; and (4) perception. (CFR)

Describes a year-long elective film course in modern U.S. history for twelfth grade students. Explains course methodology and objectives. Analyzes selected films to illustrate how the course elucidates the consensus-conflict theme in U.S. history since the 1930s and enhances student understanding of Hollywood's perspective on gender, race, and…