In order to assess preteen activities in a moderate sized community in Georgia, selected group of classroom teachers conducted a pilot study. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to approximately 1,000 fifth-grade children and the results are presented here. It was discovered that Blacks, more than Whites, and boys, more than girls,…

The influence of word recognition and conceptual knowledge on readers' comprehension of narrative text has become a fundamental assumption associated with text processing in the primary grades. Features of conceptual knowledge such as prior knowledge, content knowledge, domain knowledge, and discourse knowledge are believed to be significant…

This study compared math and reading achievement in the fifth grades of two suburban elementary schools, one which utilized a traditional approach of pull-out special education classrooms and the other which utilized an inclusion program for special education services. The Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) was used to measure the math…

A study examined whether previous knowledge facilitates the acquisition of a reading comprehension strategy by children who are poor readers. Subjects, 54 fourth- and fifth-grade boys in Palm Beach County, Florida, who were poor readers and baseball experts, were trained in the use of a reading strategy (asking "why" questions), with…

A study investigated what was possible in terms of student learning when a conceptual change model of teaching science and a writers' workshop model of teaching writing were used consistently across time. Similarities and contrasts in the curriculum, learning communities, and teachers' roles when the two instructional models were used (by two…

This activity guide, developed to provide hands-on environmental education activities geared to Kerr Lake State Recreation Area in North Carolina, is targeted for grades 3, 4, and 5 and meets curriculum objectives of the standard course of study established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Three types of activities are…

This study examines the stages of acquisition of "gateway" drug use among fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students at 11 elementary schools in Arkansas. A 109-item questionnaire, administered in the classrooms by the classroom teachers, solicited information about the stages of acquisition and the subjects' use of alcohol, smokeless…

Developed from a year-long collaboration between researchers and a fifth-grade teacher, this paper presents case study materials designed for use with prospective and experienced teachers interested in thinking and learning about students' writing development. Several kinds of information regarding the progress of "Billy" are included in…

With the current supply of fossil fuels slowly diminishing, the people of the 21st century will face a drastic change in their lives. If students become aware of the problem now, they will be able to participate in the technological and social innovations that the depletion of fossil fuel supplies will demand of society in the future. This unit…

A study was undertaken to determine the relationship between word recognition and comprehension achieved by second and fifth grade students using reading material at various levels of readability. The testing instrument used was the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scale containing levels from primer through eighth grade. A pilot study provided a…

This report considers what it means for one teacher, Elaine Hugo, to teach mathematics for understanding. By looking closely at the goals Hugo has for her students and how these goals are reflected in how she talks about her teaching and what she does in the classroom, the authors explore what teaching for understanding means for her. The authors…

Noting that statewide writing assessment shows the achievements of Oregon students over the last decade, this booklet explains the results for the 1993-1997 assessments and provides papers illustrating the work that Oregon students in grades 3 and 5 produce on the state test. The booklet's chapters are: (1) The History of Writing Assessment in…

This action research project described a program for increasing student skills in writing. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade academically talented, regular education, and inclusion students in a middle class, western suburb of a Midwestern city. The inadequacy of student writing skills was documented through writing samples, local…

The purpose of this study was to determine if cross age peer tutoring of fifth grade and kindergarten students would have an effect on reading achievement. For eight weeks one group of fifth graders and kindergartners paired together four times a week, while the other group was not cross age paired. Both groups were given a Reading Interview…

The goal of democratic understanding and civic values is within the history/social science framework. The strand of national identity falls under the goal of democratic understanding and civic values. This research project found that national identity can be developed among multicultural 5th-grade students through the teaching of national symbols,…