Asserts that reading a book to children lays a foundation for new adventures including retelling the story, interacting in dramatic play, writing, doing art projects, and having fun with music. Finds that by extending stories with activities, children refine their language skills, enhance their imagination, and foster self-esteem. (SD)

The Theatre Arts Standards of Learning identify the essential content and skills required in the theatre arts curriculum for the middle school and core high school courses in Virginia's public schools. The standards are designed to be cumulative and progress in complexity by course from the middle school through the secondary level. Throughout…

Art education combined with the sciences can be a leading force in raising the consciousness of students and teachers to the needs of our fragile planet. By teaching environmental aspects to the visual arts curriculum, we will also be teaching that one of the similarities we all share is the need for beauty. The sciences have traditionally carried…

This guide was designed to expand teachers' vision of symbolic play and to assist teachers in providing an appropriate play environment. The guide maintains that teachers of young children should consider symbolic play an essential element in the total learning environment. It presents ways for teachers to: (1) set up physical areas; (2) acquire…

The present study describes the initial use of a measure for assessing children's imaginative predispositions and reports findings of significant relationships between oral reports of imaginativeness and selected individual and family variables. Subjects were 50 preschool children 4 to 5 years of age. Variables investigated were number of parents…

Second language teachers wishing to diversify their instructional approach should consider using fairy tales to enrich the experience of the target language and culture. When used well, they can provide a glimpse of the values, lifestyles, customs, and historical traditions of the target language group. Fairy tales also offer a variety of language…

Focusing on the role of language in learning, this paper discusses schemata and symbolic thinking that help students learn from unfamiliar experiences. The first part of the paper introduces the idea of symbolic thinking by comparing students encountering new ideas with convention-goers making their way around a new city. The section suggests that…

Educational imagery is introduced as an innovative classroom technique that allows students to isolate themselves mentally and to apply their imaginations to teacher-directed scenarios to accomplish a variety of educational objectives. In this book, the rationale and procedures for using educational imagery with secondary school and college…

This paper presents a rationale for including aesthetic education in the traditional elementary and secondary curriculum. By teaching students to perceive images as artists do and to make images as artists do, aesthetic education fosters imaginative perception and sensitivity to a broad range of feelings. Four factors contribute to the need for…

A collection of Christmas projects that can be adapted to different levels of German study are presented. The text is in German, except for the overview which is in English. It is advised that the teacher be well acquainted with the craft items to be presented to the students. The language of the classroom should be German to provide a total…

The activities described in this publication are based on a language experience approach that involves primary grade children in progressions from experience to art, writing, and reading. The first and longest section presents a model lesson plan for activities in which children fantasize about being balloons and then progress to related movement,…

Eight papers which discuss rational and nonrational modes of knowing and consciousness and their relevance to educational practice are presented. Richard Jones in "Looking Back and Forth on Consciousness" considers two modes, the rational and the metaphoric, in a discussion of dreams. Alfred Kuhn discusses random variation and selective retention…

This study represents the integration of several smaller studies and articles on how the fantasies of children between age 5 and 7 become structured by the socialization pressures of the media and the school and how this helps or hinders the growth of children's own imaginative processes. Paper 1 is a research review and theoretical overview of…

Described are the development, implementation, and evaluation of six 3-hour inservice training sessions designed to help five participating teachers improve imagination and creativity in fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. Content areas for each session are outlined; activities including brainstorming and role playing are reviewed; and…

This research study examined ways in which exposure to a children's television show (Misterogers' Neighborhood) would enhance the spontaneous imaginative play of children after several weeks. The project, which is detailed extensively elsewhere, involved a comparison of three groups of preschool children in a day care center who either: (1)…