Examines how the role of questions in literacy instruction has always been strong, whether requiring answers involving rote memory or the activation of higher level critical thinking processes. Presents a six-step strategy for questioning followed by a field-tested group of fifth graders' responses to each step. (SC)

Describes 31 children's books that connect with children and illustrate the significance that books that amplify life can hold for young and old alike. Discusses books with language and illustrations that are compelling, and how stories and images work together. Describes how teachers and college students chose books and artwork to help themselves…

Findings are reported from a series of literacy assessments in which four classes of bilingual Grade 3 and Grade 5 students from an indigenous community in Central Mexico participated. Subjects who completed the battery of tests of reading and writing in Spanish and Nahuatl range from balanced bilinguals to Spanish-dominant speakers with at least…

Describes an art lesson for fifth- and sixth-grade students where they learn about the cold colors on the color wheel and apply that knowledge as they create a picture of a snowstorm. Explains that the students depict a snowstorm by layering the colors and drawings of snowflakes to make a three-dimensional effect. (CMK)

This article describes a new technique for improving the reading comprehension of elementary students. The Coop-Dis-Q technique combines cooperative learning, discussion, and questioning strategies to create a synergistic instructional effect. The specific steps of the technique and successful use of the technique in a fifth-grade classroom are…

Describes a project for fifth-grade in which students learn about their personal heritage and create a family history book. Identifies three relevant National Council for the Social Studies thematic strands and lists related activities. (CMK)

Describes learning activities in which fifth and sixth graders used spreadsheets to explore the shapes of numbers. Discusses creating spatial patterns with a computer draw program; examining number patterns in a spreadsheet; comparing square and rectangular numbers; and creating the multiplication times table. (AEF)

Describes the problems of a child who is academically underachieving and has problems making friends. Analysis of the problem was presented by three physicians. Emphasizes the role of pediatricians in working with schools to assess children's aptitude and emotional functioning. Concludes that more research is needed to define cost effective…

Identifies administrative implications of preliminary findings from a Canadian longitudinal study comparing performance and attitudes of homogeneously and heterogeneously grouped gifted fifth graders. Although no statistically significant differences were found at the beginning of fifth grade, by year's end, five statistically significant…

Presents the results of a study of two fifth-grade reading groups, one comprised of all girls and the other of mixed gender. Discusses results in a reflective essay format, suggesting that the group of girls was more emotional in their observations and the mixed group was more action and plot oriented. (TB)

Chronicles events in a class experimenting with a theme-study approach, examining teachers' and students' conceptions of knowledge. Examines changing relationships to knowledge; defines three approaches to knowledge students could take within classrooms. Explores possible underlying causes for changes in students' approaches to knowledge.…

When planning her social studies unit on world exploration, this teacher offered the opportunity for her fifth-grade students to create a claymation video of a New World explorer. Students learn about exploration; practice research skills; and write, revise and edit a script. Finally, they incorporate both the acquired content and skills while…

Describes a combined occupations/art unit for fourth- and fifth-grade students. The teacher shows slides of people in various careers, students then chose two pictures of people in occupational settings and discuss them, and finally students draw self-portraits of themselves in a career they find interesting. (CMK)

Examines self-enhancement bias among 5th and 11th graders in the United States and Japan by having students listen to stories describing behaviors (aggressive, depressive, oppositional, and school-phobic) of hypothetical peers. Reports that U.S. students showed no greater self-enhancement tendencies, while 11th graders rated themselves less like…

Explores the sociocultural dynamics within an urban fifth-grade science classroom, highlighting attempts to emulate the ideals of the collective culture of science within the classroom and how students reframed those practices. Discusses the importance of thinking about students' approach to and deviations from scientific practice norms in terms…