This article examines the goal of kindergarten, along with how the youngest members of a kindergarten cohort may be disadvantaged by an over-emphasis on reading skills. Evidence is examined, showing that kindergartners benefit from learning practical, social, artistic and oral language skills. Effective ways that early elementary school teachers…

"Teacher as Curator" provides a roadmap for using creative strategies to engage both educators and students in the learning process. Focusing on key qualities of culturally and linguistically responsive arts learning, chapters specifically demonstrate how arts integration strategies and formative assessment can be a catalyst for change…

How do you create an innovative and equitable classroom experience that prepares elementary students for jobs that don't yet exist while placing a critical focus on mathematics and science content and practice standards-all while meeting the demands of high-stakes testing? The answer to this question is Step into STEAM, by Sarah Bush and Kristin…

How can an engineer design a bird feeder that attracts many birds? This question resulted from kindergarten students' observations of the bird feeders in their school's bird sanctuary. The challenging question is the heart of project-based learning (PBL), a teaching strategy in which students tackle real-world problems and design projects to solve…

For young children, a found acorn, stone, or lichen-covered branch can be a touchstone of an experience in nature. Children, however, should also be taught to "leave no trace." As the National Park Service advocates, visitors to natural areas should "Preserve the sense of discovery for others by leaving all natural and cultural…

It's easy to see the connections between science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) in daily life, but they may not be so obvious in the classroom. This month's lessons allow students to explore the components of STEAM through a favorite art supply, the crayon, and a beloved American tradition, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day…

Research documents that the arts boost learning, build confidence, and motivate students to participate in class. How do we keep the performing arts alive in this era of increased accountability and decreased funding? Rekha S. Rajan sets the stage for a creative and practical solution with detailed, concrete examples of how to integrate the…

RAuthor Rebecca Olness combines her love of children's literature and her experience as a classroom teacher and literacy specialist to show teachers that it is possible to teach both content and literacy concepts simultaneously. Chapters cover social studies, science, mathematics, and the arts. In these pages readers will find rationale and…

Experienced educator Donna Whyte has compiled her ideas for using film containers in the classroom into "131 Ways to Use Film Containers" so that they can be shared with other teachers. She includes engaging ways to use them in teaching children about word families, sight words, and punctuation marks; skip counting, estimating, and predicting; and…

The curriculum presented in this bulletin is a response to a definite need frequently expressed by kindergarten teachers, primary teachers, and school men. The work of the different grades has been fairly standardized as to subject matter and method, and is usually outlined quite definitely for the guidance of teachers in the course of study. But…