Describes how "The Odyssey" is taught to fifth graders as a part of a study of ancient civilizations. Beginning with a storyteller's version of the tale, the children hear, read, discuss, and write about parts of the story. Learning activities and resources are described. (LMO)

A double-blind controlled study of the effect of paired reading was carried out with 33 failing readers and their parents. After an average time of 7.6 hours of paired reading at home spread over six weeks, the experimental group children made gains of 2.43 months for reading accuracy and 4.36 months for comprehension. (JDH)

The self serving effect (SSE), the tendency to accept responsibility for one's own successes but not failures, was examined in three studies with adolescents. Results showed individual differences in SSE size were logically related to differences in: (1) academic self-concepts; (2) academic self-concepts inferred by significant others; and (3)…

The mean scores of English Language Learners (ELL) and English Only (EO) students in 4th and 5th grade (N = 110), across the teacher-administered Grammar Skills Test, were examined for differences in participants' scores on assessments containing single-step directions and assessments containing multiple-step directions. The results indicated no…

This report describes activities and achievements of a project that developed and evaluated the Demand Writing Instructional Model (DWIM), a comprehensive writing program for students with learning disabilities (LD) and low-performing students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds in inclusive general education classrooms. The…

In recent years metacognition has been receiving increased attention in mathematics education. Special attention has been focused on metacognition and its essential role in achievement settings. The basic difficulty of the study on the field of metacognition is to develop and use valid tasks in order to measure metacognitive ability especially for…

Ocean Environments for Grade 5 is a 12-week interdisciplinary ocean environmental unit designed for teachers to use with their students. The unit emphasizes investigation and understanding of our ocean environments, including their geological, physical, and biological characteristics. It also stresses awareness of public policy decisions related…

This report describes Project CREEK (Community Resources Through Environmental Education for Kids), a collaborative 3-year project between the University of California at Davis, the University of Maryland, and a large, rural K-5 elementary school in central California, and a sister site near Baltimore. Specifically, this report examines changes in…

The focus of this book is a study of voice through writing among poor, urban preadolescent fifth-grade girls. Voice became a central focus when the researcher, engaged in observations of peer writing conferences for students who were not native speakers, noted that the girls appeared to lose their voices as the year went on. The loss of voice was…

This practicum was designed to increase the use of computer technologies, which would enhance student learning outcomes. The primary goal was to improve the language arts skills of third, fourth, and fifth grade students by using specific software and related activities. A secondary goal was to raise teachers' computer comfort levels and skills.…

Concludes that prior research show either no difference between homeschooled children and other children, or a difference favoring homeschooled children. This suggests that homeschooled children's social skills are certainly no worse than those of children attending conventional schools, and are probably better. This study finds that homeschooled…

Time allocation in the second and fifth grades was divided into three major categories: (1) academic activities such as reading, mathematics, science, and social studies; (2) nonacademic activities such as music, art, and physical education; and (3) noninstructional activities such as transitions and class business. The number of minutes engaged…

Describes a project where fourth- and fifth-grade students in the Wales School District (Wisconsin) simulated a political campaign as part of their social studies curriculum, using HyperStudio, ClarisWorks, and the Internet. Also discusses fund-raising activities and how the unit came about. (AEF)

Describes the efforts of one elementary art class to move beyond the limits of formalism when examining and discussing art. Guided by the teacher, the class attempted a critical deconstruction of the work of Edgar Degas focusing on his depiction of working class women. Includes three reproductions of Degas works. (MJP)

This study examined the educational effects of providing fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade students with 24-hour access to laptop computers. Specifically, the impact of laptops on classroom activities, student use of technology, and writing and problem-solving skills was examined. (Contains 47 references.) (MES)