This digest examines data on video game use by children, explains ratings of video game violence, and reviews research on the effects of video games on children and adolescents. A recent study of seventh and eighth graders found that 65% of males and 57% of females played 1 to 6 hours of video games at home per week, and 38% of males and 16% of…

This booklet shares ideas, guidelines, and suggestions to help parents of junior high school students help their children read more and derive more pleasure from reading. The booklet focuses on the "why's" and "how to's" of two central issues in promoting reading for pleasure: supplying a wide variety of interesting reading…

This book is part of a series that helps parents choose books for their children and talk with them about books in ways that actively engage children with the meaning on the printed page. The introduction notes that it is important for parents to continue sharing books with their children at this age (12 to 14 years). The first chapter, "Reading…

The transitions students make during their years of schooling are usually major events in their lives and in the lives of their parents. The stresses created by these transitions can be minimized when the new environment is responsive to each particular age group. This digest presents a brief overview of some of the issues involved in the…

This ERIC digest examines the growth and nature of juvenile gangs and the growing problem they present in the nation's public schools. It explores the characteristics of gangs, the impact gangs are having on public schools, why gangs develop and why students join them, what the schools' responses have been to gangs, and effective interactions for…

Presents an annotated bibliography of materials pertaining to social studies in the middle school. Teacher resources, classroom applications, and curriculum guides are listed along with ordering information. (GEA)

This first chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles that describe strategies for counselors to use in helping middle school students move toward self-understanding. "A Dialogue with Self: The Journal as an Educational Tool," by Dalva Hedlund, Tanis Furst, and Kathryn Foley, describes journal writing as a…

This second chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles that deal with family relationships in early adolescence. "Teen-Parent Relationship Enrichment Through Choice Awareness," by Richard Nelson and Marsha Link, describes a process through which counselors may help to enrich relationships between teenagers…

This sixth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on academic achievement in early adolescence. "Succeeding in Middle School: A Multimodal Approach," by Edwin Gerler, Jr., Nancy Shannon Drew, and Phyllis Mohr, describes a study conducted to examine the effects of the multimodal program, "Succeeding in…

This seventh chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on career exploration during the middle school years. "'What Can School Do for Me?': A Guidance Play," by Natalie Wilson, presents a fantasy in which a middle school student and a superhero companion take a tour of the world of careers. The script of the…

This fifth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" looks at the issue of sexual maturation in early adolescence via four articles. "The Counselor's Impact on Middle-Grade Students," by Hershel Thornburg, examines physical, intellectual, and social developmental tasks of early adolescence. "Contraceptive and Sexuality Knowledge…

This third chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains four articles on peer pressure and drug abuse in early adolescence. "Initiation of Alcohol and Drug Abuse in the Midel School Years," by Robert Hubbard, Rebecca Brownlee, and Ron Anderson, presents a study designed to provide a prospective assessment of the nature and…

This fourth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" presents four articles on stress and suicide in early adolescence. "Stress and the Middle Grader," by David Elkind, looks at technology and stress, describes three basic stress situations, and identifies stresses common to the middle grader. Stress symptoms in middle graders…

This eighth chapter in "The Challenge of Counseling in Middle Schools" contains five articles on the organization of a middle school counseling program. "The Counselor and Modern Middle-Level Schools: New Roles in New Schools," by Paul George, examines characteristics of successful schools and considers some new roles for the counselor. "Teacher…

Describing the middle school as extending from the fifth or sixth through the eighth grades, this review describes current middle school philosophies and characteristics and cites middle school research and implications. Ideally, the report maintains, the middle school is designed to serve the needs of early adolescents through such techniques as…