Many people would agree the creative arts are essential for children's education and development. For years, the creative arts were integrated into classroom learning units, especially in the language arts, by using drama, music, and drawing; this was considered good teaching. In this study we examined whether contracted curricula designed for…

This multisite study investigates dialogic literacy events that revolved around narrative and informational texts in two 3rd-grade classrooms. The authors offer a metaphor of musical improvisation to contemplate dialogic literacy events as part of the repertoire of teaching and learning experiences. In literacy learning, where there is much…

Theatrical improvisation is a joyful, creative, and playful activity of discovery and a spontaneous process. It seems to be the opposite of teaching, which requires proper planning and advance thinking and seems a very "serious business" that deals with values and knowledge. Improvisation is shaped by flexibility and by transformative…

This study examined how the use of African American literature that depicts Black males influences the reading comprehension and the reading motivation of Black boys as demonstrated through oral, written, and creative expressions. Studies have been conducted using children's literature with Black boys to examine their social interaction with the…

It is important to find the means by which struggling writers can find success in the English Language Arts. For students struggling with reading and writing, the visual arts may be a way of accessing and expressing their ideas and ultimately opening up a world of creative possibilities. This article explores drawing and painting as a pre-writing…

This curriculum guide for the teaching of composition contains more than sixty lessons for use with third and fourth grade students. Each lesson contains a statement of purpose, a resume, a list of materials, and directions for teaching the lesson. The major sections for both third and fourth grade are: (1) "Let's Pretend with Things,"…

Describes how third grade students learned about fresco paintings in Pompeii and made their own frescoes by pouring plaster into styrofoam trays and painting the surface. Students discovered they could control the paint better because of the porous surface of the plaster. (KM)

This narrative description of the author's participation in an environmental education program is intended to provide first grade teachers with ideas for incorporating multidisciplinary environmental education into the existing curriculum. Environmental education, within this publication, is broadly conceived. In addition to the more traditional…

Develops a "living map" project that introduces the topology and climate of the Florida Keys through the use of creative, dramatic movement. Explains that gifted second and third grade students become parts of the environment on a large, topographical floor map. Describes materials, objectives, and procedures. (DB)