Discusses a unit integrating science, mathematics, and environmental education centered around "The Great Kapok Tree," by Lynne Cherry (1990). Ratios are used to make scale drawings of trees in a rain forest. Other activities include a terrarium and problem-solving activities based on eating habits of rain forest animals. (KMC)

This article presents a rationale and technique for stimulating students' interest in literature. An example, featuring author Donald Crews, is provided. A list of authors of books suitable for primary and middle grades is included together with an author information resource guide. (IAH)

Grandparents play an integral role in a child's life. In recent years these functions have been expanded due to longer life spans, access to better health care, and changing family dynamics. President Jimmy Carter designated Sunday, September 9th, 1979, as the first formal Grandparents Day, and the first Sunday following Labor Day in each…

Drawing on 8 years of classroom-centered research, the Book Club program integrates instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Student-led discussion groups form the heart of the program, and they provide a real-world context for learning that motivates children and fosters the development of both academic and social skills. This…

Intended to increase the choices available for teachers and children in the classroom, this book helps teachers deal with the ever burgeoning field of children's books. The first section of the book presents 29 themes on a variety of subjects, such as cats, folklore, money and business, Native Americans, science fiction, sports, villains, and…

Many students in grades 3-5 may be reluctant to participate in literature discussion groups because they are accustomed to round-robin reading and whole-class discussions followed by individual workbook exercises. These children may require extensive instructional support to learn to participate in more independent discussions. This book describes…

Designed to improve the rigor and clarity of children's reasoning about ethical issues, this book provides a practical, down-to-earth, discussion-based approach to teaching ethics to fourth- through sixth-grade children. The book provides stories, lesson plans, questioning strategies, guidance on using children's books for ethics lessons, and a…

This companion volume to "Novels and Plays" contains 30 detailed teaching guides for some of the best literature commonly taught in grades 6-12. Twenty of the guides are new to this edition and the others have been updated with fresh related readings, extension resources, and revised questions and activities. Guides are organized according to the…

The purpose of this book is to be a practical tool for those who work with children in grades 4-6 and who wish to make an equitable literature curriculum part of the school-centered reading experiences of the children with whom they work, as well as introduce literature of diversity into their own reading. It is especially meant to provide a…

Presents literature-based activities that take division off the workbook pages and place it in situations to which children can relate. The activities help students understand division, devise strategies, and solve problems in context. Both activities involve reading stories then using division to solve real-life problems for story characters. (SM)

This book is a captivating whole-language thematic unit about the study of insects, relating it to our understanding of the past and our hopes for using our knowledge in the present to balance the ecosystem in the future. It contains a wide variety of lesson ideas and reproducible pages designed for use with intermediate students. At its core,…

This book helps teachers and media directors to use children's literature to enrich elementary reading programs and to pursue sound educational objectives as they share the books and stories. It provides activities designed to expand and enrich the opportunities for children to become literate. It is a tool which addresses the need for children to…

Designed for teachers, this simulation of a criminal trial addresses the workings of the trial system by using the children's story, "The Three Little Pigs." The Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for destroying the pigs' houses. By having students assume roles and use the non-scripted character profiles, the simulation allows information to…

This book suggests an approach to science instruction that integrates literature as an alternative form of instruction or to enrich textbook instruction. It uses conceptually and factually correct works of fiction and outlines activities where students are allowed to do the majority of the work and the teachers act as facilitators. Though the…

Children's picture books, for example Allan Say's "Grandfather's Journey," can provide fresh materials and approaches to teaching reading to students in intermediate grades. One approach for preservice teachers learning to use children's literature might be to begin by planning possible uses for one or more literature selections and then…