Implementing organizational change related to student achievement is a daunting task that requires buy-in, planning and support structures to ensure fidelity of implementation in the classroom over many years. Brockton High School's Literacy Model demonstrated such a change is possible and sustainable. Elementary schools in Jackson County, West…

Recent research has shown that implementation of innovative programs at the classroom level continues to be a major challenge. The purpose of this study was to examine the types of modifications made during implementation of two curriculum units in two different setting types (i.e., self-contained, pull-out) to identify areas that should be…

For educators, the content of the curriculum really is like oxygen: it is the necessary precondition for improving schools, closing the achievement gap, engaging parents, and preparing teachers. However, when educators take the content of the curriculum for granted, they lose opportunities to coordinate and collaborate. Good curriculum instruction…

The children's taunt "Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers" gives new credence to the information search process at the elementary school level. Children keep what they find, claim it as their own, and accept information without discernment or critique. This study examines the effectiveness of teaching information literacy skills through…

This research reports on a study of curriculum materials development and use compared with the use of existing curriculum materials in an elementary classroom. The research explored the effect of explicit attention to epistemic practices in curriculum materials and the enactment of those materials. Epistemic practices include asking questions,…

Presents results from a large study of classroom management in third grades. The objective of the study was to gather extensive information about how third grade teachers in socially disadvantaged schools organized their classes. Data are presented regarding student behavior, teacher behavior, and characteristics of effective management.…

Describes a project that the authors created to develop an English/Language Arts standards-based curriculum. Discusses the rationale for the project, the theoretical base, the search for teachers, and the implication of a focus unit. Hopes that the model of creating curriculum described here will be useful for many teachers throughout this world…

Describes resources used to teach local history at the third-grade level in El Cajon, California. The content of the resources is described as well as the methods used to develop the resources. (AM)

Reports the results of a two-year case study of 144 third and fourth graders' art materials preferences. Results indicate that the students preferred different media for different reasons, with favorites being clay, craypas, felt-tipped pens, and cardboard or wood. Maintains that art educators should take into account students' perceptions about…

The benefits of collaboration between authors, classroom teachers, and curriculum specialists are presented in this report, which looks at the production and implementation of a German Foreign Language in Elementary School (FLES) curriculum for the third and fourth grades, joining content-based approaches together to form "Unser…

This curriculum guide is designed to promote greater student achievement through alignment of the written, the taught, and the tested curriculum, and to promote broader and higher levels of thinking through objectives, activities, and strategies which integrate content and cognition. The document includes a statement of philosophy and broad goals…

This teacher's guide, one of nine teacher packages developed for use in the sequential, hands-on, field-oriented, K-8 environmental education program of the Martin County Schools in Florida, was developed for use with elementary children in grade three prior to and after a visit to an environmental studies center located near an estuarine area.…

The curriculum guide for gifted and talented third and fourth grade students was developed in a 1-week teacher workshop. Introductory sections specify tasks and timelines, review characteristics of gifted and talented students, and describe the district's screening and identification process. The curriculum is based on a combination of…

The Social Studies Assessment Program was a province-wide assessment of Social Studies concepts, skills, and attitudes in grades 3, 6, 9, and 12 in Manitoba (Canada) carried out during April, 1984. Designed to provide a profile of student performance on program objectives, the test was administered to a representative sample of students at each…

Presents a 10-week unit on rocks and minerals for 2nd and 3rd grade classes of students with disabilities. Focuses on children's science process skills. Includes a sample worksheet. (KHR)