Learning activities on the topic of aging which were developed and field tested by K-6 teachers in the public schools of Acton, Massachusetts, are provided. They are designed to overcome many of the myths that children hold about aging and to help them develop a more realistic and positive view of their own future as people who will grow old. The…

Presenting lesson plans for secondary teachers of language arts, this booklet is intended to help students develop healthy attitudes toward their own aging, realize the lifelong importance of decisions they make as adults, and understand the interdependence of all age groups. The activities suggested in the booklet are designed to address existing…

A course for teaching an advanced undergraduate course on the psychology of adult development and aging is described and evaluated. Course goals, content, and format are discussed. Students generally viewed the course favorably. (RM)

Units of study to help secondary students learn about the aging process are provided. There are five units. Major concepts taught in the first unit, "Chronological Aging," are that aging is a continual process, that generational cycles ensure survival, and that species depend on each other for survival. In the second unit, students learn…

This curriculum on aging is designed to help promote positive attitudes toward age and aging among young children. It focuses on developing the concepts of: (1) aging is a natural and lifelong process of growing and developing; (2) old and young are similar in many ways; (3) older people are valuable and contributing members of society; (4) old…

The purpose of this guide is to provide K-3 teachers with activities which will sensitize students to the needs and concerns of older adults and permit them to develop positive attitudes toward the entire aging process. There are four major sections to the guide, one for each grade level. Each activity revolves around a particular story book…

Provides suggestions for a unit on the biological process of aging. Includes three activity sheets on the comparison of jaws and dentition from differently aged people, a denture survey, and eating and living without teeth. Includes a framework for organizing a course on the physiology of aging. (RT)

Describes a freshman liberal arts honors course on adult development and aging. Contains suggestions for selecting and using readings, films, music, and television shows. Provides examples of how to make connections between these materials and the scientific literature. (DSK)

Describes two exercises that convey the ways in which social biases influence adult development and aging: (1) involves sorting pictures of people by age illustrating the diversity of opinions about how to divide the life span; and (2) demonstrates how physical and social factors shape individual well-being in old age. (DSK)

The purpose of this unit is to provide activities to help 7-12 grade students understand some of the physical handicaps and social problems that the elderly must face. The unit, designed to be used in six class sessions, is arranged into two parts. In the first, students vicariously experience what it is like to have some physical handicaps that…

The program upon which this paper is based, Developing an Aging Curriculum, was initiated as a pilot project to assess the appropriateness of introducing aging information and concepts to elementary-age students. Seventeen teachers in grades K-6 in one school district have been involved in the project as part of a graduate course. The project was…

Aging is often thought of as an essentially biological process and therefore a matter for the natural sciences, but that notion constitutes a very narrow view of aging. The longevity revolution of the past century and how it affects each individual and all societies can only be understood if we also draw on the social sciences. When the young…

To broaden the scope of a letter writing unit for seventh graders, a real-life component brought together two groups who could learn from one another, youngsters (who usually did not have living or nearby grandparents) and the elderly in a convalescent home. Students selected their pen pals on the basis of biographical data and similar interests…

This teaching guide on aging contains 18 activities for students. A major cognitive objective is for students to examine and evaluate personal and societal attitudes and behavior toward aging in the United States and in other societies. When students make cross-cultural comparisons of these attitudes and behaviors they become aware that their own…

The guide is designed to help educators integrate the study of aging into the high school curriculum. Objectives are to promote and support the study of aging and the aging process, dispel popular misconceptions surrounding aging, aid educators in establishing programs with, by, and for seniors, and provide a list of helpful resource groups.…