Biographies are one of our best tools for diversifying the curriculum. In this article, we describe The Biography Clearinghouse, a free resource designed to inspire teachers to use high-quality biographies in their classrooms. We then elaborate on curricular possibilities in K-8 classrooms. We end with a discussion of the Investigate, Explore, and…

Gerard Leonard and Kathleen Allen describe a variety of nature experiences as a part of the Montessori elementary tradition, beginning with a warning about the way contemporary life constrains children's experience of nature. Through a lyrical rendering of the nature-based expressions of children, Leonard and Allen look at a variety of approaches…

When teachers in elementary and middle school classrooms portray history as an immutable sequence of certain facts, dates, and events, young learners tend to view the past, and by extension the future, as something fixed and inevitable. Learning about the past through investigating biographies can help counter this tendency by teaching students to…

The year, 2005, is the bicentennial of this great children's writer. What better time to teach his timeless tales? Andersen was born April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark, to a poor cobbler father and washerwoman mother. Andersen felt misplaced and believed that he was destined for greatness; he would be a great writer, an acclaimed poet, a person of…

The English tonic sol-fa system was developed in the 1930s by Sarah Glover. The system was discovered in 1841 by John Curwen, who subsequently popularized and adapted it. Conflict arose between the two educators regarding the modifications Curwen made in the system. Glover deserves recognition for her contribution. (Author/RM)

The feats of individuals who have made history in the aerospace world are often misunderstood and soon ignored or forgotten after the first notoriety has been achieved. Amelia Earhart was selected as the subject for this learning packet because of her brilliant accomplishments on the world of flight, a persistent desire to determine what really…

Discusses the use of biographies to increase student interest in plant science. Presents the biography of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who empowered women and children to plant and care for millions of trees in Kenya, as an example of teaching with biographies. (JRH)

These easy-to-read classroom plays are about 15 African American men and women in a variety of vocations. The plays are designed to enhance the curriculum and to make social studies come alive for the student as they bolster language-arts teaching. Each play includes a Teacher's Guide that contains some quotes from the featured person and a brief…

This article, the first of a two-part series, introduces the living history program. This yearly, weeklong program features living portrayals of famous people, which becomes a catalyst for teaching curricular standards, as well as providing the spark for inquiry. Here, the authors describe how the yearly living history program was implemented and…

Childrens' historical books by author Jean Fritz offer teachers a stepping stone to fun and interesting history units. Make-believe journeys, time lines, role playing, and storytelling activities based on the Fritz biographies help children learn many different skills. (DF)

Presents the ideas of four elementary school classroom teachers with regard to reading instruction. Includes "An Invitation to Reading Fluency,""Reading Chapter Books for Fun,""Easing the K-1 Transition through Language Experiences," and "A Meeting of Minds: Teaching Using Biographies." (PRA)

Too often books have been published with contrived and unnatural nonsexist messages. Teachers searching for good nonsexist literature need to consider the potential contributions of biographies, especially women's biographies, written for young children's listening and reading enjoyment. Women in well-selected biographies are assertive,…

Growing from an awareness of the significant increase in the number of professional books in the field of children's literature, this bibliography has been compiled to meet the needs of teachers, librarians, parents, and others interested in children and their books. The books selected represent new publications (since 1967) and revisions of or…