Many teachers bring caterpillars into their class for their students to see the transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. This is exciting and educational, but more can be done using Monarchs across the curriculum. This article describes an integrated butterfly unit for students in grades four to six that starts with identifying the Monarch…

The authors--a second grade classroom teacher and a university professor of education--decided to collaborate. Melanie wanted to find out if she could help her students increase their reading and writing comprehension by presenting a sequence of events in an activity (for example, the steps in building a house) and then have the students write the…

This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's state-funded optional extended year program for the 2007-2008 school year.

The OEYP state-funded program provides extended learning for students who are at risk of academic failure. This report summarizes Austin Independent School District's OEYP activities during 2008-2009.

This article presents a five-day science unit focusing on fish to get kindergarten students interested in science and ideas for incorporating science instruction with language arts and art instruction. (CB)

Presents eleven groups of activities students can undertake which deal with sidewalks and which involve both social studies and language arts skills. (DD)

Describes how the language arts and mathematics can be integrated as students write, solve, and discuss mathematics story problems. Offers suggestions for implementing a problem-writing program in mathematics, and provides four vignettes illustrating such mathematics instruction. (SR)

There is vast research that substantiates the integration of science and literacy; however, there are very few books that correlate findings and address specific practices. "Integrating Science and Literary Instruction" connects scientifically based research and best instructional practices in literacy and integrates this with the inquiry-based…

Much of what students learn never appears to connect to their lives. They learn facts, they study events, and they read stories of others. Teachers need to help students make these associations, and sometimes that means expanding the curriculum. To help her language arts students make connections between their lives and the realities of life…

Presents background and directions for an elementary-level activity combining art and language in which students study verbs and animation techniques. To understand how verbs suggest the passage of time, students visualize action sequences. (AM)

Describes an arts unit on music and poetry for upper elementary classes which covers tone color, dynamics, register, tempo, form, and enunciation. Students read poems, write and record their own poems, and listen to poetry readings. The unit concludes with a choral speaking experience. (AM)

Presents a selection of language arts ideas related to the presidential election campaign. Activities cover critical listening, role playing, vocabulary development, reading, oral speaking, and writing. (SJL)

Reports research on providing communication skills through art activities in the primary grades. (RL)

Elementary school goals for instruction focus on developing literate readers and writers. Provides examples of integrated interdisciplinary and thematic instruction. Recommends the use of thematic instruction with an interdisciplinary focus to meet National Science Education Standards and National English Language Arts Standards. (Author/SJR)