Describes the science advocate program in which a science advocate visits elementary classrooms with hands-on activities that make science exciting for students. Highlights advocate activities and benefits of the presence of the science advocate. (JRH)

Describes the Science Exchange Program that aims at increasing children's knowledge and use of the Internet and teaching them how commonplace items such as shells, rocks, and other natural materials differ throughout the world. Involves students from different countries connecting through the Internet. (JRH)

Presents an investigation, applicable for grades 3-6, that focuses on the concept of randomness and encourages children to conjecture and to conduct experiments which verify or contradict their intuitions. Involves using hands-on explorations, collecting data, and drawing conclusions on the basis of the information. (JRH)

Elementary educators kept journals of television viewing, recording awareness of programs and commercials; taking the perspectives of children, children with disabilities, parents, and teachers; and noting media attributes that influence the messages. The assignment expanded their awareness of stereotypes, the meaning of media literacy, and ways…

This article describes six strategies for teachers to use in organizing their desks and the space around them to make them more efficient and attractive. (SM)

Two tools for helping students develop a sense of responsibility for their learning are presented. An "I Can" chart encourages students to reflect on their learning and state on a chart what they can do after a skill has been learned. A "My Goals" list helps students set personal goals based on class objectives. (SM)

Strategies for creating caring, positive classroom environments from the start include hanging pictures of people from around the world with mirrors to promote reflection, making signs that present concepts about rights, and creating name cards for saving work in progress. Questions for teachers to ask before school begins are included. (SM)

This analytical overview of writings on the African American military experience is designed for college and upper-level high school teachers and general readers. It excludes most contemporary accounts and focuses on works that concentrate on the African American experience, highlighting works for their quality and accessibility. (SLD)

Describes how the use of haiku in elementary level writing instruction can develop writing and cognitive skills. Focuses on both traditional haiku with syllable pattern limits and nontraditional adaptations keeping with the intent of haiku to evoke a mood. Highlights how improvements in students' haiku writing benefited other types of writing.…

Explains how one university addressed the assessment of technology skills needed by elementary preservice teachers and how it moved to close the gap between those identified needs and the level of elementary student teacher technology preparedness. Discusses technology competencies and skills desired by elementary administrators, acquired by…

Discusses how to teach elementary students to become better singers. Focuses on how to develop their voices and listening skills in music class. Explores when to have students sing alone and in groups, how to use songs, and when to teach music vocabulary. (CMK)

Presents insights from interviews with elementary students in the form of lessons learned regarding learner-centered principles and self-determination theory. Children note and endorse learner-centered principles, particularly those addressing their desires for teacher care and support, tasks promoting new learning and increased competence, and…

This study examined relations of reactive versus proactive aggression to second-graders' anger after losing in a board game to a cheating confederate. Found that reactive aggression, but not proactive aggression, was positively related to skin conductance reactivity and observed angry nonverbal behaviors, both at an aggregated level and in terms…

Describes a year-long study of the indigenous peoples of the Americas conducted by an intern at a Montessori school, focusing on the Pueblo people and emphasizing contemporary indigenous people. Highlights introducing the study to students, creating materials that capture the essence of a Montessori lesson, structuring lessons through an…

Administered two intelligence batteries and a computer-assisted elementary cognitive test battery to 474 second-generation migrant and 747 majority-group students, aged 6 to 12 years, in the Netherlands. Findings suggest that performance differences between these groups are better predicted by a cultural complexity ("c") factor than by…