Ethnic Discovery is an approach to exploring cultural diversity with schoolmates, teachers, and friends, conceived and developed by the Boston Children's Museum. Ethnic Discovery experiments with possibilities for personalizing the process of social study. Students and teachers who participate in its activities learn about their own cultural…

Describes newspapers as a good alternative to the traditional writing textbook and discusses how they can be used at all age levels to develop three stages of the writing process: prewriting, revision, and publishing. (JD)

Six exercises intended to promote conversation skills are presented, including five survival games situated in space, caves, the middle of the ocean, the Sahara desert, and the North Pole; and a game to select a prison parolee from a group of candidates. The games involve role playing and decision-making activities. (MSE)

The nine original one-act plays in this collection are meant to be performed in the classroom or at any social gathering where an informal reading or enactment by a group can take place. The plays touch on a number of conflicts that people may encounter when seeking independence; looking for jobs; trying romance; relating to family members;…

Described is a classroom simulation for high school economics students which illustrates concepts of scarcity, economic resources, differing systems of resource allocation, economic interdependence, and specialization. For availability, see SO 505 564. (Author/AV)

Describes an exercise named CARDS that was used in two sections of an introduction to psychology course. After a concept was presented in lecture, students were asked to respond to a question written on an index card and discuss their answers in groups. Presents the results of the assessment of student learning. (CMK)

Suggests using group presentations as a method for instructors with large introductory courses to help students gain functional skills and also make the courses more interesting. Provides examples of group presentation projects. States goals of projects as showing how sociology can be used in everyday life and providing a review of the examination…

Presents a rationale for practicing democracy with four and five year olds. Discusses techniques and activities that enhance children's understanding of democracy. (BB)

Lists and describes five essential components common to all cooperative learning lessons. Identifies heterogeneous grouping, introduction of social skills, interdependence of group members, individual accountability, and processing of group interaction as essential to cooperative learning. Suggest ways cooperative learning can be implemented in…

Reviews the major elements of cooperative learning and describes a model based upon level of difficulty which can be used as a guide for implementing activities. Discusses a planning worksheet for teachers and suggests ways in which teachers can assist each other in this process. (KO)

Describes experiences in career exploration in a third grade classroom based on the Foxfire approach to instruction. Students researched careers by writing letters and interviewing real career people. They also set up "junior businesses" in the classroom, which involved designing business cards and purchasing products to sell. Students…

This activity book includes across-the-curriculum activities with Olympic themes; a "cooperation relay" (four competitive team activities based on a cooperative learning model); highlights of African Americans' Olympic achievements; a poster on teamwork and activities based on the theme of keeping the Olympic torch alive; and a…

This book offers teachers a practical and theoretical classroom guide to the many ways music and stories may be explored, both independently and in tandem, to give students a better understanding and appreciation of each art form separately and of their power together. The crucial aspect of activities described in the book is original productions…

Use of group story writing in second language classes is discussed, and specific instructional techniques are outlined. In this activity, students sit in a circle and each begins to write a story. The story beginning is passed to the next student, who adds a portion and passes the story on. This pattern continues until stories are completed and…

This story, intended for classroom presentation, comes with suggested activities (with illustrations) for students to undertake. The story is designed to be initially presented by one storyteller/teacher (with different voices) or by 5-8 students in group tandem style. The story and the activities allow students to develop various oral language…