Compares and connects the cosmic awareness emerging in the elementary classroom to adolescent cosmic sensibility embedded in the experience of the Hershey Montessori Farm School. Provides examples of students' poetry to support Montessori's concept of valorization of personality as each individual turns toward maturity. (Author/TJQ)

The drawings of 17 four- to five-year-old children from two points in time, age four and age five were analyzed. At both ages four and five, the most commonly used scribbles were single vertical lines, single horizontal lines, and single curved lines, whereas the two least used scribbles were spiral and circular lines spread out. The subjects in…

This paper documents an initiative in Continuing Professional Development, conceived and carried out by London's "Centre for Literacy in Primary Education" (CLPE). The intention was to improve the teaching and learning of writing in Years 5 and 6 of the primary school (9-11-year-olds), through working with challenging literature. This…

This article summarizes a small-scale investigation into 10- and 11-year-old children's perceptions of how the attitudes and values of different times in the past are reflected in historical writing for children. The research involved observation, reading and discussion of historical stories written at different times in the past about a…

This book offers information and step-by-step instructions on establishing a publishing center in schools, churches, or community groups and includes reproducible forms. The book gives ideas for such a center, a joint effort between volunteers, students, and teachers, that lets children publish their stories in a professional looking manner. The…

Intended for parents and teachers, this guide provides all the information needed to lead a second grader through 30 lessons or 30 weeks of learning for a beginning speller. The guide helps the child to learn to identify common, logical spelling patterns; leads the child quickly to more complex words; and aids him or her in becoming a confident,…

Intended for parents and teachers, this guide provides all the information needed to lead a third grader through 30 lessons or 30 weeks of learning for a speller. The guide helps the child to learn to identify common, logical spelling patterns; leads the child quickly to more complex words; and aids him or her in becoming a confident, independent…

The purpose of this "Written Language Developmental Continuum" brochure for preschool-second grade is to provide helpful information for parents, teachers, and other adults as they work with young children to advance and refine written language (writing) competence. The brochure is intended to be a useful tool for assessing children's…

This study investigated the impact of word processing on middle school students. The study involved a high, middle, and low academic ability student, each spending an average of 114 minutes on the computer per week over four months. Data collection consisted of questionnaires, interviews, observations, and students' work. Each student answered…

The reading clinic at the University of Virginia continues to refine its test battery every year: a new refinement involves collection of more naturalistic language samples and writing samples to add depth to the understanding of children's developing language structures. The "tell a story to get a story" protocol provides a method for new…

This album addresses how civic education should be taught in Romanian schools. Civic education, like any other form of education, must be gradual and adapted to the specifics of the respective age. The album can be used by any person involved in developing future citizens. The document includes drawings and texts made by students who were apart of…

This paper discusses ideas which contribute to better understanding of the writing portions of Reading Recovery lessons, emphasizing the importance of helping the student monitor meaning during the composing and recoding process. Topics addressed in the paper are: (1) differences between composing and transcribing; (2) sources from which children…

Finds literature to be the most effective model for writing in the author's second-grade classroom. Discusses five ways that children borrow ideas from literature and the function of borrowed ideas. (SR)

Gives strategies middle school teachers can use to promote student writing. Includes brief discussions of authentic writing; freedom of topic choice; free time to write; and the process of review, revision, feedback, and reinforcement. (ET)

Reports on a two-year descriptive study of eight low-income children's writing in skills-based and whole language instruction. Finds that the students at the "top" did well in whole language instruction, and for less proficient learners, the whole language curriculum appeared to provide more support. (RS)