In this activity students (in pairs) become explorers and map readers tracing the best land routes to travel between select U.S. cities. They learn who were the first known explorers who broke the trails and who were the first groups of people to follow the trails. The activity tasks each pair of students with instructions to determine the…

This book reports on young students' strategies, the ways they construct knowledge, and how to support such development over time. Focus is placed on how to develop an understanding of multiplication and division in grades 3-5. The book describes and illustrates what it means to do and learn mathematics, provides strategies to help teachers turn…

Based on a survey of 3067 Finnish 5th and 7th graders and a task-based interview of 20 7th graders we examine student's understanding of fraction. Two tasks frame a specific fraction (3/4) in different contexts: as part of an eight-piece bar (area context) and as a location on a number line. The results suggest that students' understanding of…

A study conducted three experiments focusing on understanding the information processes children use in learning to read Chinese, evaluating the learning differences between skilled and unskilled readers. To understand the strategies of character identification children use, participants in experiment 1, 10 Taiwanese elementary students (five…

The view of the researcher is that students in the upper elementary to middle school range need to increase their problem-solving skills by making logical deductions and organizing and structuring their thoughts through the use of word problems. Giving children a daily word problem challenged and introduced them to the lesson. This activity…

This pilot study sought to extend K.L. Hutchinson and J.W. Neuliep's (1993) research regarding the relationship between parental modeling of communication apprehension (CA) and the development of children's CA. Furthermore, the study examined this relationship within the context of Latino families. Subjects were 82 fifth graders attending a…

This paper takes a look at some recent studies on utilization of technical tools, primarily personal computers and software, for improving fifth-grade students' reading comprehension. Specifically, the paper asks what benefits an educator can expect students to derive from closed-captioning and computer-assisted reading comprehension products. It…

This report describes an action research project improving student academic reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade students in a growing suburb of a major midwestern metropolitan area. The evidence for existence of the problem included student surveys, assessments, teacher observations and checklists. Analysis of…

This study investigates the development of 5th grade children's understanding of quotient and the classroom norms and practices that constrain or enable that understanding. It reports not only how the children's understandings develop, but also why and under what conditions they develop. The results of this study indicate that children progressed…

This study was undertaken to better understand the ways teachers utilize a reform elementary mathematics curriculum in the beginning stages of implementation and the factors that influence the implementation. The teacher's beliefs about mathematics teaching, his understanding of students' reasoning, and the ways he engaged with his students'…

This report describes a program for improving students' writing skills in the areas of mechanics and organization through the implementation of a Writer's Workshop. The targeted population consists of fourth and fifth grade students in a Midwestern community located outside of a major city. Evidence for the existence of this problem is shown…

A study examined whether students' reading ability affected their level of aesthetic reading response when reading level-appropriate literature. During the study, 28 fifth graders read books and wrote responses to what they read. Responses were scored on a rubric valuing aesthetic responses that demonstrated personal experiences. Students' reading…

This quasi-experimental study evaluated the effects of levels of participation and award structure of science fairs on elementary students' attitudes toward science and interests in science. Fifth grade students participated in one of four science fairs: mandatory/competitive, mandatory/noncompetitive, voluntary/competitive, or…

Student science journals were evaluated as an assessment tool to demonstrate student performance throughout the course and the opportunities students have to learn science in their classrooms. The study was conducted with 163 fifth graders from 7 classrooms, although 1 teacher did not collect student journals, reducing the sample size. Close and…

The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) has been underway since 1997. Since then, fourth grade students have been assessed annually on the Colorado Model Content Standards for Reading and Writing. In 1998, testing began on third grade reading. Over the course of time, other grades and subject areas will be phased in. In the fall of 1999,…