Finds that, among 134 rural fifth graders exposed to a 2-week environmental education program, hands-on classroom activities eliminated pretest racial differences in environmental attitudes, but a field trip did not. Suggests similarities in the negative environmental attitudes of rural and urban non-White populations. Contains 15 references. (SV)

Surveys of two second-grade and two fifth-grade classes (45 and 40 students, respectively) assessed effects on student attitudes of using the process approach to writing as the core of poetry instruction. The approach worked for both grades for poetry, but only for fifth graders for other creative writing forms. (TJH)

Examines students reported and demonstrated knowledge of three structural properties of text: topic relatedness, superordination, and cohesion. Reports students are only moderately knowledgeable about topic relatedness and superordination, and unknowledgeable about cohesion. (RS)

Describes a project in which fifth graders researched the history of their school, interviewed people associated with the school's history, and created a booklet of school memoirs. Discusses problems overcome in each phase of the project, and offers practical suggestions on class management and project supervision. (SV)

Investigates the discussions of fifth and sixth grade literature study groups led by teachers in training. Finds children of varying abilities participating in rich discussions of literature, articulating and changing their constructions of meaning, sharing personal stories triggered by the reading, hypothesizing and predicting, and evaluating the…

The psychometric characteristics of constructed response items referring to choice and nonchoice passages administered to approximately 150,000 students in grades 3, 5, and 8 were studied through item response theory methodology. Results indicated no consistent differences in the difficulty and discrimination of items referring to the two types of…

Describes actual classroom projects that allowed fifth graders with special needs and learning disabilities to become adept at navigating and searching for information on the Internet. Presents feedback from students on their experiences using the Internet and finds that these classroom projects improved student reading and writing skills. (JMV)

Describes how a fifth-grade teacher intervened to bridge the language and cultural social divisions in her classroom. By experiencing a key math lesson entirely in Spanish, native English speakers quickly began to understand what it is like to not be able to understand. Teachers reported a profound effect of this experiment on the classroom. (ET)

A study examined 48 fifth- and sixth-grade students' responses in cooperative small groups in mathematics. Findings indicated that students generally spent more time on-task, and especially more quality time on-task, in groups than in whole class settings, and students were more active participants in groups than in class settings. (TJQ)

Study examined whether body fatness and weight control knowledge could be learned by students while they completed skinfold testing. Students received information on the subject in different manners while undergoing skinfold testing, then completed a knowledge test. Students who received instruction during measurement scored higher than control…

Explores the relationships of emotion, cognition, and inner speech to each other and to context in a classroom of 24 fifth-grade students. Results of interviews and observations suggest the necessity of understanding adaptive behavior in context, understanding the role of context in determining cognitive and emotional responses, and understanding…

Fourth and fifth graders who had completed the mile-run physical fitness test were interviewed to determine what they thought, felt, and knew about the test. Students reported little understanding of why they had to complete the test. They viewed it as a painful, negative experience that was little fun. (SM)

Presents a French study of the impact of providing knowledge about text superstructure on children's ability to improve text through predefined revising strategies. Reports that children exposed to a similar reading task before revising tended to improve text correctly and use the most efficient strategy. (DK)

Elementary computer teacher describes a summer program in which fifth graders cooperatively created a computer-based city planning unit. Students strengthened math, writing, technology, and problem-solving skills as they organized and used a bank, purchased property, proposed and designed buildings, and assembled the futuristic city using a…

Describes a restructured Chapter 1 program that provided supplemental support within the students' classrooms to raise expectations for Chapter 1 students' performance. Notes that expectations of teachers and students increased; portfolios of student work showed steady improvement in reading comprehension and writing ability; and standardized test…