A fifth-grade classroom teacher and a reading specialist changed the classroom structure from teacher-centered to student-centered, using flexible grouping, students' choice of literature, student journals, and student-driven discussion groups. They found that students' motivation and interest in reading improved over time. (SM)

Increasingly computers in primary schools are being used to support the interactions and learning of students online. Gaining access to online spaces gives students new ways of interacting, not possible in a face-to-face setting. For example, interacting through online environments allows students to interact more informally with each other and…

Kindergarten children at risk of developing language problems were administered the Florida Kindergarten Screening Battery. A principal components analysis revealed a verbal and a visual-spatial component and subsequent discriminant function analyses a high verbal/low visual-spatial group (LAL: Latent L) and a high visual-spatial flow verbal group…

Parental involvement is critical to a child's success in school. This handbook provides parents with information about the Grade 5 curriculum in Catholic schools in Alberta, Canada. Based on the Alberta Education "Program of Studies: Elementary Schools," the handbook describes the knowledge, skills, and attitudes Catholic school students…

This publication is a distillation of the most salient, most often repeated observations and recommendations of Maryland teacher-test scorers on their experiences scoring student responses to the Maryland School Performance Assessment (MSPAP) test in 1994. Feedback is organized into perceptions about what would be pertinent to share with other…

During the 1980s increasing attention was paid to writing-to-learn elementary school subjects outside of traditional language arts courses. The concept of writing-to-learn in science has much in common with the concept of a science learning community premised upon a social constructivist epistemology. This paper reports on research designed to…

This document presents results of a survey studying the Japanese picture book, "Hiroshima No Pika." The story aptly captures how a family of three find their lives shattered in a matter of seconds when the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima (Japan) in World War II. Issues presented in the story are: (1) immediate survival in the face of…

The Teaching and Learning with Technology Project was funded by Oakland Schools, Oakland County (Michigan), in 1987 to bring together in an elementary school those technologies that will be key components of schools in the future with an instructional program designed to prepare students for the information age. The project had the following…

Ideas for using children's literature suggest ways to extend and enrich the elementary school social studies curriculum beyond the adopted textbook or scope and sequence developed in a local school district or at the state level. The focus of kindergarten through grade three is the study of family and communities and the acquisition of individual…

The readings and activities in this 5-day unit for 4th and 5th grade classes are designed to introduce students to Amish culture in America. A total of five lessons are outlined in which students discuss Amish family life, role play Amish celebrations, make basic products such as bread and soap, and examine Amish customs and occupations. A…

This revised curriculum guide, one of nine sequential manuals for elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, is designed to prevent drug misuse and abuse through activities for developing students' affective and cognitive skills. The introductory section presents the rationale for the school-community drug abuse prevention program…

As part of an educational reform in the Netherlands, teachers were required to implement models of adaptive instruction, including group-based mastery learning. It was expected that mastery learning would raise achievement and reduce differences in achievement among children of different social classes and between girls and boys. In 1987, students…

This practicum addresses the need to organize a structured problem solving program for fifth and seventh grade students. The improvement of the students' problem solving skills and the enhancement of students' attitudes toward problem solving in mathematics were the main goals. The program implemented consisted of a structured problem solving…

Formative evaluation of program implementation and student performance was used to assess a new writing program used in 11 elementary schools in Hillsborough County (Florida). Twenty-one teachers and 600 students in grades 4 and 5 participated. Teachers were interviewed, and students completed an attitude survey. In addition, 4 writing samples…

The primary purpose of the Statewide Testing Program is to assess the achievement of 4th, 5th, and 10th grade students in South Carolina public schools. The results provide educators with information which facilitates the decision-making process at the State, district, and school levels. For the third consecutive year, Form U of the Comprehensive…