GRADES OR AGES: Grades 4, 5, and 6. SUBJECT MATTER: Music. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The introductory section contains material on the purpose, general objectives, and organization of the program; recommendations for the classroom vocal program, the classroom instrumental program, the classroom music listening program, and the…

The Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, Phase II, was a research project on effective teaching behavior--what teachers do that significantly affects what and how pupils learn. The purposes of Phase II were to (1) develop an assessment system for measuring teacher and student behaviors and other factors which could influence each of them and their…

Tested students' self-concepts and observed their classroom behaviors after manipulating reinforcement for positive self-descriptions. Finds that students receiving positive reinforcement for positive self-descriptions display increased intellectual self-concept and more frequent positive self-descriptions. (RL)

Examined how third and fifth grade students who are poor communicators differ from those who are good communicators. Poor communicators were less effective on a self communication task than good communicators, and they did not engage in comparison activity even for their own private understanding. (GO)

A teacher describes how she managed to turn one student's disruptive behavior into an opportunity for all students to learn about conflict resolution. (JL)

The dimensionality of the construct of original thinking was studied using measures designed to control for confounding of the construct by fluency and by task ambiguity. The subjects were 315 gifted children in grades 4-6. Original thinking was conceptually distinguished from general intelligence, but evidence for a concept of general originality…

Presents an instructional unit in which grade 6 students used PFS:File to create a computerized database containing information about many countries. Six lessons are described: (1) introduction to a database; (2) selecting topics for the database form; (3) designing forms; (4) beginning research; (5) adding files; and (6) retrieving information.…

Explores strategies used by fifth-grade teachers who exemplified three different classroom orientations (learning-oriented, work-oriented, or work-avoidance) toward student motivation and learning. Raises questions for future research and highlights strategies that support motivation to learn. (NH)

Described are children's strategies in thinking about fraction order and equivalence. The data are based on two teaching experiments with fourth and fifth-grade children. Some sample activities for teaching order and equivalence are included. (RH)

Describes two exploratory projects involving a fifth-grade civics class in Connecticut and an eighth-grade English class in Vermont. Using techniques such as small-group inteviews, situational pictures, learning logs, and assessment measures, researchers determined that what students learn often bears little resemblance to the "taught"…

Argues that the strategies and goals of cooperative learning promote good citizenship and the reduction of prejudice. Reviews supporting theories and research and reports on a fifth grade's ten-week cooperative learning experience. (JDH)

Presents a lesson on John F. Peto's 1904/1906 painting "A Closet Door." The lesson is intended to introduce students in grades four through six to still life painting. (JDH)

Describes a classroom economics system for fifth graders based on real-life experience. Income earned in assigned "jobs" may be spent for future fixed expenses, unexpected opportunities and expenses, and immediate entertainment. Students learn social skills as well as how to bank, buy stock and insurance, cope with unemployment, manage a store,…

Fifth-grade art students examined Greek artists' drawings on the surfaces of clay vases and wine cups and read Greek mythology. The students then drew their own designs for ceramic pots. (RM)

Evaluated whether age differences in children's generosity result from increasing altruistic motivation or increasing susceptibility to experimenter influence strategies. A total of 282 first, third, and fifth graders voted on how to spend a gift of money under one of five instructional sets--three levels of experimenter influence, peer influence,…