Integrating reading and writing. Teachers allow students to do follow-up writing which takes off on a theme, but allows enough room for the learner to bring in his or her contextual knowledge. Also, some of the teachers report using creative writing and creative acting with puppets to draw on meaningful contexts of student ideas. Fifth-grade students write an autobiography and use the computer to generate a profile with color graphics. Viewing of the broadcast is followed by discussion and writing activities.
Information never goes one way and is never without a clearly defined purpose.
The teacher never presents facts for the sake of presenting facts. At the center of teaching and learning is a problem or question that is interesting to all participants and involves both actions and interactions. Teachers are encouraged to use a thematic approach to integrate subjects, to present lessons that match a variety of learning styles, and to develop tiered assignments to meet the needs of students with varying abilities. Teachers are also challenged to design their instruction and assignments to meet the needs of the at-risk students in their classrooms. This student support team consists of the principal, two classroom teachers, one special education teacher, the school psychologist, the social worker, the positive life skills teacher, and others as necessary.