It is easy for intermediate students to get the wrong ideas about the purpose of reading. Educators pay so much attention to decoding and fluency in the early years that children sometimes come to believe that flawless and rapid word recognition is the point. As texts get more demanding or unfamiliar, some of the "good readers" in classes begin to struggle, because they are not sufficiently engaged in constructing meaning. Lack of both engagement and intentional effort is a deadly...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Word Recognition, Intermediate Grades, Reading Instruction, Reading Comprehension,...
The intervention potential of physical activity programs for intermediate schools (grades 7-9), could be enhanced by an understanding of how students engage with and disengage from physical activity. This study provides an interpretation of how adolescents, parents, teachers, and principals perceive students' involvement in physical activity within their intermediate school environment. Thematic analyses of eighteen interview transcripts resulted in an interpretation of students' continuum of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Physical Activities, School Culture, Physical Activity Level, Ideology, Grade 7,...
Special education teachers working in intermediate grades and in middle school grades face many challenges as they teach both developmental reading skills and subject matter material. Not only must they deal with the increased vocabulary and domain demands of teaching informational text, they must also handle the needs of students who have not yet mastered basic reading skills. The complexity of this task is reflected in recent NAEP fourth-grade reading scores that show approximately 30 percent...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Strategies, Special Education Teachers, Intermediate Grades, Middle...
This paper considers one challenge from recent emphasis on rigorous research for decision-making in education: the interpretation of non-replicated findings. Under Clinton and Bush, the federal government called for and funded highly rigorous research. The "gold-standard" for research was randomized-control trials (RCTs), which supposedly offered clear answers about program efficacy. Such clear answers were meant to be used by stakeholders in making decisions about adopting programs....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Outcome Measures, Ambiguity (Context), Randomized Controlled Trials, Reading...
This study tested the acceptability and efficacy of an innovative intelligent tutoring system (ITS), "Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN," that translates the evidence-based in-person Social Skills Group Intervention (SSGRIN), into an interactive game-based social tutorial. This randomized controlled pilot trial tested the first half of the social tutorial software for children with social skills challenges. Participating children in grades 3-5 were randomly assigned to immediate...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intelligent Tutoring Systems, Program Effectiveness, Interpersonal Competence,...
This bulletin presents reading research studies in the upper elementary grades during the period from 1955 through 1960. It represents an attempt to bring together the unpublished as well as published studies for that period. This compilation was undertaken by the U.S. Office of Education in response to requests from reading and language arts specialists, particularly members of the National Conference on Research in English. To identify studies for inclusion, the Office of Education sent...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational History, Annotated Bibliographies, Elementary School Students, Study...
This bulletin is concerned with how children learn to read. It describes as simply as possible the teacher's part in the reading experiences children have, and the ways parents can help in making the learning-to-read years of the child's life both happy and successful. Learning to read is not limited to the first grade. During each year a child spends in school, he discovers new ways to use reading for information and for pleasure and as he does so he needs to acquire new and more complex...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Reading Instruction, Kindergarten, Beginning Reading, Grade 1, Intermediate Grades,...
The reorganization of the curriculum and the necessary assembling of proper materials of instruction attendant thereto are probably receiving more of the attention of educational leaders at the present moment than any other school problem. The Bureau of Education is endeavoring to be of assistance to those attempting a solution of this important problem. The author was asked to prepare from time to time a series of studies based directly upon the child's need and interest as related to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational History, Instructional Materials, Elementary School Students, Elementary...
In April, 1919, at the request of the Board of Education of Memphis, Tennessee, the United States Commissioner of Education submitted the conditions on which the Bureau of Education would make a survey of the public school system of that city. This study of the Memphis schools is intended to be a study of policies and practices; not of persons. The report is issued in seven separate parts for general circulation. Part 2 is divided into two distinct chapters. Chapter I, The Elementary Schools,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary School Teachers, School Administration, Elementary Schools, Public...
The making of the daily schedule of classes is a problem of no mean importance. In fact, the solution of this problem requires much knowledge and skill on the part of an administrator. It not infrequently happens that an administrator loses the confidence of his teachers through an attempt to substitute a "sketched" daily schedule for one that should have been worked out in accordance with the best principles of schedule making. In such a case, the principal is wasting much of the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Administrators, School Personnel, School Administration, Classroom Communication,...
The tragedy of September 11 had a special significance for the parents of the nearly 6,000 children who attended the seven public schools located in the World Trade Center impact zone. Healthy Schools Network has documented first hand accounts of the experiences of that day and its aftermath. In addition to extensive interviews, last winter a short survey was distributed to parents at PS 234, PS 89, IS 89 and PS 150, elementary and intermediate schools in Lower Manhattan. Demonstrating the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Parents, Terrorism, Coping, Interviews, Emergency Programs, School Counseling, Parent...
The middle grades are in crisis. By state and national measures, student achievement gains realized in the elementary grades all too often diminish by grade 8. In most states, the considerable policy focus on high schools in recent years has not trickled down to a focus on the middle grades --yet preparation for "college- and work-ready standards" must begin before high school, especially for at-risk students. Although research on best practices in the middle grades is less plentiful...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Achievement Gains, At Risk Students, Educational Change, Academic Achievement,...
Researchers are aware that grouping students by prior knowledge may result in moderate gains in intermediate grade students' mathematics achievement. Despite this research, many teachers continue to teach the way they were taught: one curriculum for all students regardless of students' readiness. Additionally, researchers have raised concerns about the effects of flexible grouping on students' self-esteem. Little research examined the effects of curricular enhancement and whole group...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Context Effect, Grouping (Instructional Purposes), Curriculum Development,...
The purpose of this research project was to increase constructive behavior of intermediate grade students through the use of the response cost strategy. Approximately 70 students participated in this study. Three teacher researchers conducted the research in an elementary school and two middle schools in different counties near a major mid-western metropolitan area. Interventions included student reflections, teacher observations and a cost response strategy called The Green Card System. The...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Intermediate Grades, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Social...
The purpose of this paper is to present findings from a program evaluation conducted to examine the effectiveness of the Schools Attuned program in a north Texas school district. Schools Attuned was developed by a professor of pediatrics, Dr. Mel Levine (2002), as a professional development model to train teachers to identify cognitive and psychomotor strengths and weaknesses of students in order to accommodate individual differences in classroom instruction. The Schools Attuned program has...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Improvement Programs, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, School Districts,...
These teacher developed lessons focus on the impact of the New Deal and World War II on east Tennessee. The forum for developing the lessons included a series of lectures by experts in 20th-century scholarship and interpretation, tours, and experiences at historic sites in the region. During the week long program, teachers traveled throughout east Tennessee. They prepared lesson or unit plans using the local heritage experiences gained from their travels. This manual contains three sets of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Elementary Secondary Education, Heritage Education, Intermediate Grades, Secondary...
These teacher developed lessons focus on the Civil War's impact on east Tennessee. The forum for develop ling the lessons includes a series of inservice lectures by experts in the areas of Civil War scholarship and interpretation, tours, and hands-on experiences at historic sites in the region. During the week-long program, teachers traveled throughout east Tennessee. They prepared lesson or unit plans using the local heritage experiences gained from their travels. The manual contains 18 lesson...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Civil War (United States), Heritage Education, Intermediate Grades, Primary Sources,...
This report describes a program to improve student achievement through the use of music strategies. The targeted population was fifth-grade students in a small Iowa community. The absence of music integration into the social studies area was observed through data that displayed the lack of motivation and in-depth learning by the students. Analysis of probable cause data revealed evidence of shallow learning and an inability to see relationships between the two disciplines. The time factor in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Achievement, Action Research, Cognitive Style, Grade 5, Interdisciplinary...
The Star of the Republic Museum (Washington, Texas), the Historical Museum of the Texas Republic, has created lesson plans to enhance student understanding of Texas state history. Regardless of the opportunity to visit the museum, the lessons can enrich the classroom experience by making objects from the museum accessible to students. The educational packet contains four lessons: (1) "Gone to Texas" (Texas Broadside); (2) "Letters to Home" (Letter 1 from A. Mitchell; Letter...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Curriculum Enrichment, Exhibits, Intermediate Grades, Middle Schools, Social Studies,...
In this lesson, students identify the question-answer relationship (QAR) for word problems that relate to a graphic or table. They then use the QAR strategy to determine the mathematical and cognitive actions required to answer the word problem. This activity is particularly appropriate for fourth- and fifth-grade students. During two 40-minute sessions, students will: preview tables to stimulate prior knowledge, make predictions, interact with print, and generate questions and answers about...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Objectives, Evaluation Methods, Intermediate Grades, Interpersonal...
Jean Piaget's classic theory of cognitive development would imply that the higher-order items on the Kentucky state assessment would only be possible for students well into concrete operations or beginning formal operations. The implication would be that Kentucky fourth graders who are not fully concrete yet may be hitting a developmental ceiling on the state assessment. In the week following state testing in spring 2003, 87% (n=47) of the total fourth grade at one Kentucky elementary school...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cognitive Development, Elementary School Students, Formal Operations, Grade 4, High...
This document includes the following issues of this journal: volume 18, number 3, Summer 2002; volume 18, number 4, Fall 2002; volume 19, number 2, Spring 2003; and volume 19, number 3, Summer 2003. The summer 2002 issue of "The Bill of Rights in Action" views problems related to victims of war. It focuses on the internment of Japanese Americans in camps during World War II, the court case that upheld it as constitutional, and subsequent attempts to compensate those held in the camps;...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Ancient History, Black Leadership, Capitalism, Civil Rights, Discussion (Teaching...
This study was conducted to measure value added school effects in a Northwest urban public school district using a two-level hierarchical model. The model consisted of two student-level variables (prior achievement and eligibility for federal free or reduced-price lunch) and three school variables (percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, percentage of teachers with a Master's degree, and percentage of students suspended). The outcome measure was composite scores derived...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Achievement Tests, Elementary School Students, Intermediate Grades, Measurement...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 6 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning"Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 6 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 5 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 5 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 4 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 4 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education,...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, Elementary School...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 6 curriculum in Catholic schools in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes Catholic school students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 6 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Catholic Schools, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 5 curriculum in Catholic schools in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes Catholic school students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 5 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Catholic Schools, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 4 curriculum in Catholic schools in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes Catholic school students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 4 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Catholic Schools, Educational Objectives, Elementary School...
The purpose of this project was to increase grade four students' reading motivation by helping them to develop a broader awareness of literary genres, and through participation in literature-based discussion activities. Approximately 71 students and 33 teachers participated. The following interventions were used: creating a literature rich classroom, conducting a reading interest survey, introducing a variety of genres, and book buddy discussion activities. The final outcome was that the...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Action Research, Childrens Literature, Grade 4, Instructional Effectiveness,...
This is a prewriting activity for personal memoir or autobiographical writing. Grade 6-8 students brainstorm for important memories, create graphics or symbols for their most important memories, and construct a life map on tag board or construction paper, connecting drawings and captions of high and low points with a highway. During four 50-minute sessions, students will: identify key moments, people, and places in their lives; create an evaluative scale, from high points to low points, ranking...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Cooperative Learning, Evaluation Methods, Illustrations, Intermediate Grades, Lesson...
This study documented the learning outcomes of preservice teachers who participated in a service-learning program for professional development on understanding the academic and social needs of students attending urban schools in a low-income northern California community. Eight preservice teachers participated for periods from 1 to 2 years. Pretests and posttests, designed to measure end-of-the-year academic growth in mathematics and reading competence, were administered to 102 sixth graders to...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Educational Practices, Elementary School Students, Intermediate Grades, Preservice...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 6 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 6 curriculum. Following introductory material, sections include: (1) "What Is Curriculum?";...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, Elementary School...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 5 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 5 curriculum. Following introductory material, sections include: (1) "What Is Curriculum";...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, Elementary School...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this French-language handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 4 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 4 curriculum. Following introductory material, sections include: (1) "What Is Curriculum";...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, Elementary School...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 6 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 6 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education, supports for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 5 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 5 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education, supports for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary School Curriculum, Elementary...
Noting that parents are vital partners in the educational system, this handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 4 curriculum in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Learning "Programs of Study: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes students in Alberta are expected to demonstrate upon completion of the Grade 4 curriculum. Following introductory material that includes information on Aboriginal education, supports for...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Art Education, Educational Objectives, Elementary Education, Elementary School...
This guide helps teachers and students gain knowledge about the "Air Transportation" gallery at the National Air and Space Museum (Washington, DC). The guide is divided into six sections: (1) "The 'Air Transportation' Gallery"; (2) "How to Use This Guide"; (3) "Activity 1: Take Off: An Air Travel Matching Guide"; (4) "Activity 2: Design Your Own Airline"; (5) "Activity 3: Then and Now: Interviews with Airline Crews"; and (6)...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Standards, Aviation Education, Heritage Education, Intermediate Grades,...
This teacher's guide provides activities about the National Air and Space Museum (Washington, DC) for students to complete. The guide includes primary and secondary source materials for teachers to photocopy and use during their study of African Americans in aviation based on the exhibition "Black Wings: The American Black in Aviation." Designed for students in grades 5-9, the teacher's guide includes four activities, each taking about 50 minutes or one class period. The guide is...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Standards, Aviation Education, Black History, Blacks, Exhibits, Heritage...
When Orville and Wilbur Wright began their studies of aviation, they did not overlook the great experts on the subject the birds. The brothers became interested in flight as children, when their father brought home a little flying toy powered by a rubber band. Later, they corresponded with the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC) which sent them pamphlets and a book about flight. On December 17, 1903, Orville Wright flew in a motor-powered craft for 12 seconds across 120 feet of sand near...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Standards, Air Transportation, Aviation Education, Curriculum Enrichment,...
The monetary system in the U.S. colonies was notable because it was based on thin air. The earliest forms of U.S. money were commodities, items that were not just tokens of wealth but had some intrinsic value. In addition to adopting the Indians' use of wampum and furs, the colonists used crops and European-made items such as nails. In 1775, the Continental Congress issued the colonies' first uniform currency, the bills that came to be called "Continental." The colonies, soon to call...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Heritage Education, Intermediate Grades, Middle Schools, Monetary Systems, Primary...
The Freedom from Distractability Index (FFD) on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Third Edition (WISC-III) is an index score comprised of the sum of the scores on the Arithmetic and Digit Span subsets. Although the FFD is often interpreted as a measure of attention and concentration, there are a number of other possible explanations for performance in this scale, including anxiety, number facility, auditory short-term memory, and working memory. Comparisons were made across ADHD and...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Achievement Tests, Attention, Attention Deficit Disorders, Children, Hyperactivity,...
The current study is an examination of how support from siblings relates to academic competence in early adolescence, with a focus on the compensatory effects of sibling support. Participants were 694 African-American, European-American, and Hispanic-American students, ranging in age from 11 to 15. Participants were interviewed in school regarding their social support and academic achievement. Students under low mother and friend support conditions receiving greater support from brothers...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Achievement, Early Adolescents, Intermediate Grades, Predictor Variables,...
The purpose of this report is to provide information about the level of student performance in the area of writing based on results from the annual on-demand writing sample required during the North Carolina Writing Assessment at grades 4 and 7 for 2001-02. The report was generated using aggregate student data from North Carolina public schools, including charter schools, and provides information regarding student performance at the state level at each of the score points for grades 4 and 7....
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Achievement, Achievement Tests, Grade 4, Grade 7, Intermediate Grades,...
The spring 2003 The Idea Book for Educators highlights television programming from the Arts and Entertainment Network (A&E), the History Channel, and the Biography Channel, with a focus on an A&E original movie premiere, "Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor." The booklet contains the following materials: "A&E Study Guide: Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor"; "Biography Study Guide: Ella Fitzgerald: Forever Ella" (Ideas from Our Teachers Winners;...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Academic Standards, Biographies, Discussion, Foreign Countries, Greek Civilization,...
This research presents the results of a 10-week qualitative case study that followed the journey of a limited literacy, grade six student as he progressed through a 10-week, one-on-one intensive literacy intervention. A limited literacy student is defined as a student, who has been identified as functioning two or more years behind their peers in reading and writing. This paper focused on changes in reading behaviors, such as word recognition, decoding, comprehension and metacognition. The...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Case Studies, Decoding (Reading), Grade 6, Instructional Effectiveness, Intermediate...
Researchers have found that readers they described as "strategic" had a purpose for reading, that they monitored their comprehension as they read, and they reflected on their reading. Although most readers have grasped fundamental reading processes by age 12, they still do not have well-articulated concepts about effective strategies to enhance comprehension. This guide for teachers on reading comprehension instruction in grades 4-8 is divided into the following sections:...
Topics: ERIC Archive, Classroom Techniques, Intermediate Grades, Metacognition, Middle Schools, Reading...
This learning kit begins with a glossary of terms to help students learn about California Indians and their food. The kit explains that California Indians were the first people to live in the area now known as California, and that these tribes differed in the languages they spoke, the regions they lived in, and the foods that they ate. It explains that California Indians lived all over the state. The kit is divided into 18 sections: (1) "Glossary"; (2) "General Overview of...
Topics: ERIC Archive, American Indian Culture, American Indians, Anthropology, Curriculum Enrichment,...
The Yahi Indians were part of a larger tribal group called the Yana. The Yahi way of life, along with the lives of many other California Indian groups, changed when European and U.S. settlers came to California. In 1872 Ishi and his family were the last of the Yahi living in the Deer Creek (California) area. By 1911 Ishi was the last surviving member of the Yahi tribe. This learning kit tells the story of Ishi's life and experiences with an unfamiliar culture beginning with his arrival in...
Topics: ERIC Archive, American Indian Culture, American Indians, Anthropology, Elementary Education,...