To help elementary school social students understand how a government works, the article describes an activity which requires a combination of government-related knowledge and procedural skills. The activity focuses on citizenship decision making and includes a mock presidential election. (DB)

Examines achievement in individually competitive and cooperatively reward-structured environments during a seven-week class period. Reports no differences between the two treatment groups at posttest. (Author/YP)

Examines how kindergarten children's concepts of work and play affect their classification of school activities. Finds that children classify the activities as either play or work on the basis of absence of the teacher, location of activity, level of noise permitted, and the materials used. (RS)

In this article, the author gives advice on how music educators can prepare ahead of time for days in which a substitute teacher will be needed. One suggestion includes creating a substitute folder, possibly during the summer when free time is more available. The author also suggests creating actual lesson plans that a substitute with no musical…

Because the national education agenda is focused on standards, testing, and accountability, schools are at risk of narrowly defining their mission as improving test scores. In this environment, it is easy to forget that public education serves a larger civic mission. Preserving and promoting a democratic society was the founding precept of the…

A review of the literature on the relationship between ability grouping and student achievement reveals that most researchers have found that homogeneous grouping does not significantly affect achievement. A few studies attempted to relate student achievement to teacher ability and instructional strategies; however, they found no significant…

This manual offers suggestions for the first year teacher with ideas and advice compiled from educational literature and questionnaires completed by other first year teachers, principals, and education professors. Topics include: (1) curricular preparation; (2) physical environment of neighborhood and school; (3) school rules and regulations; (4)…

These room designs are intended as samples to be used in planning business classrooms. Rooms and furniture are drawn to scale. One page illustrates the various pieces of furniture, with dimensions, that are used in the designs. The number on each piece of furniture identifies it in the room designs. Each room design is 32 feet by 43 feet or 1,376…

This curriculum guide, written to assist health professionals in developing classes for parents of children from birth to 24 months of age, consists of three main sections. The first section, "Preparing for Your Audience," outlines some prerequisites the instructor should take into account when planning learning experiences for adults,…

The 1983-84 Preparation for Raising Educational Performance (PREP) program was a theme-based program of instruction and supportive services for incoming ninth graders who are substantially below grade level in reading and mathematics. PREP was offered in 91 public high schools in New York City and provided services for nearly 12,000 students.…

The Centers Approach allows the teacher to work with small groups of children during the reading activity. (JH)

Structural characteristics of classroom activities and student and teacher engagement behaviors were investigated. Observer teams collected data on the structure of activities, student engagement behaviors, and teacher behaviors in arithmetic and reading lessons in six elementary classrooms in a middle class, suburban school district. The…

Observation of two third-grade teachers during the opening days of school revealed different approaches to organizing their classes and instructing pupils on correct classroom behavior. The results of observation are given in narrative form and analyzed. Five principles that characterized the most effective teacher are presented: (1) The teacher…

EXISTING DIRECTIVES FOR PLACEMENT IN SCHOOL ARE INADEQUATE. MORE IMPORTANT, GROWTH AS THE GOAL OF EARLY EDUCATION IS ALL TOO OFTEN SACRIFICED TO A RIGID TEACHING-AND-LEARNING PROCESS WITH ITS BURDENSOME DEMANDS. THIS OFTEN LEADS TO EMOTIONAL MALADJUSTMENT. PROPER PLACEMENT AND GROWTH CAN BE ACHIEVED ONLY IF EVERY CHILD IS KNOWN IN HIS OWN RIGHT.…