The end of the school year is in sight, but it's not too late to help lower-level readers catch up. Experts across the country were asked about the most common obstacles to reading success--and effective ways to over-come them. Their insights and tips can help a teacher make a real difference before summer begins.

Teacher used square dancing as an activity which she hoped would act as a cohesive force in a first grade classroom. (DR)

A series of short articles describing the involvement of parents in the educational process. (MB)

For homework assignments to be effective, they must serve to develop skills and help students gain a sense of accomplishment. Suggestions for developing interesting, positive homework assignments that use contracts and skill cards are offered. (DF)

This article describes a 17-year-old program for at risk students which emphasizes 1-to-1 attention. Project STAY (School to Aid Youth) works with 40 first-grade students each year and has a high success rate. Other features of the program include heavy parent involvement, innovative teaching approaches, and lots of positive reinforcement. (IAH)

A collection of 25 creative teaching tips includes ideas for teaching language arts and mathematics activities. Basic classroom organization techniques are suggested that will help the class run smoothly. These ideas are "teacher tested" and require little preparation and few materials. (DF)

Presents classroom activities designed to teach elementary students about soil, seeds, and sprouts and to guide them in gardening. The article also includes extension activities, home projects, and a student journal page. Curriculum materials are listed. (SM)

Interactive language arts homework helps parents and children come together on activities they enjoy. The article presents a project in which students interview their parents on hairstyles from their youth, write a paragraph about the subject, then follow up with class activities. Includes a questionnaire form for students to give their parents.…

Involving parents is a good way to promote student success. By sharing an interactive homework assignment, teachers can help parents understand what their children are learning about averages and how they can reinforce the learning at home. Two reproducibles provide models for teachers to create math take-homes. (SM)

The "Kitchen of Words" home project lets parents help their children master nouns and adjectives within their own kitchens, focusing students on the words involved in the kitchen setting. Students create a list of words that apply to their kitchens, recording nouns, their adjectives, and adjectives suggested by family members. (SM)

Twenty ideas to motivate reluctant young readers in kindergarten and elementary school classrooms are presented. The ideas include reading contests, prizes, classroom decor, and community involvement. (PP)

Presents an excerpt from the journal of a second grade teacher who reflected on the daily challenges and possibilities of learning in a child-centered, meaning-based classroom free of workbooks and standardized testing; an interview with author Nancie Atwell, a language specialist and veteran teacher; and suggestions for books and journals. (SM)

Presents tips to help teachers develop and manage valid, truly authentic assessments that are linked to daily class instruction, discussing how to refine assessments, get parents involved, encourage self-assessment, and make criteria clear. A model developmental reading scale for bringing more uniformity to reading assessment is presented. (SM)