Investigates the effects of four types of prereading activities on comprehension of Australian fifth grade students: (1) irrelevant tasks (control); (2) pictorial introductions to the subject; (3) content-directed questions; and (4) free-association to the passage's titles. Determines that, although the pictorial introduction group performed best,…

Describes a lesson in which fifth graders made observations of candles. Discusses the progress of the lesson and the necessity of instructing students in what and how to watch and measure. Stresses that this can be easily accomplished inexpensively with imagination. (CW)

This art project involved fifth graders in producing one-minute television commercials. The subject matter for the commercials was determined by school events. The commercials were shown several weeks before the special event they advertised. (RM)

Describes an evaluation that analyzed the implementation of a school health education curriculum, assessed cognitive learning outcomes attributable to the curriculum, and examined the relationship between classroom implementation and changes in students' knowledge. Results indicated that the curriculum had a positive effect on learning in…

Provides lesson plans for using popular software (Oregon Trail and the PFS U. S. History Database) and selected instructional television programs for integration into instruction on the westward movement. (JDH)

This study investigated the relationship between peer relations and help-seeking behaviors in third- and fifth-grade boys and girls. The relationship between peer status and academic help-seeking was found to vary with the target of the help-seeking overture and the type of help requested. (Author/LMO)

To investigate age-and ability-related differences in the effects of explictness reversibility, and clause order on children's comprehension of causal relationships, three experiments were conducted at grade levels three, five, and eight. Students read text in one of four formats. Several age differences, but no ability interactions, were found.…

The process of acquiring word meaning from context was investigated for high- and low-ability fifth-grade children. Findings demonstrated characteristics of processing that differentiate successful and less successful acquisition and underscore the complexity of the meaning-acquisition process. (HOD)

Examines the claim that television does not actively involve the viewer cognitively in ways usually associated with mature information processing. Study is described that suggests active and differential processing of television information by viewers and an increase in the level of sophistication in understanding the medium. Twenty-six references…

This report describes a program to increase intermediate students' interest in writing through the integration of technology. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade students at a medium sized elementary school in the suburb of a large midwestern city. The problem was the low level of student interest in classroom writing activities. The…

This paper presents some preliminary results of the longitudinal aspect of a research project on self-confidence and understanding in mathematics. We have collected a survey data of 3057 fifth-graders and seventh-graders and a follow-up data of ten classes (191 pupils) one and a half years later. The longitudinal data indicates that the learning…

Tired of assigning weekly spelling lists that students memorize for the test only to have them misspell the words in their daily writing? Then join Max Brand in his fifth-grade classroom where word learning is integrated fully into literacy workshops. Using spelling investigations, word study notebooks, reading logs, and writers' notebooks,…

This book contains a collection of fraction lessons that support curriculum and instruction. The goals of the lessons are to give all students the chance to: (1) extend their understanding of the place value system to include decimals; (2) learn how decimals relate to fractions; (3) represent, read, and interpret decimal numerals; (4) compare…

A study examined whether a literature-enhanced social studies program improves mastery of grade level expectancies as evidenced by test scores. Thirty fifth-grade students from an elementary school in Santee, California were instructed in four 3-week blocks alternating a traditional instructional method with a literature-enhanced method. The…

California State Standard 5.4 is delineated as: Students understand the political, religious, social, and economic institutions that evolved in the colonial era. Understanding the historical contributions of religion and key elements of world religions is essential to a complete knowledge of America's civilization and to being a well educated…