English language learners (ELLs) were once expected to learn English before they learned critical content needed to succeed in school, but this is longer true, because now federal education laws require that ELLs be held to the same academic standards as other students. There are, however, requirements to assess and document progress on tests of…

Bullying is a topic rarely talked about in a sustained, non-judgmental, and age-appropriate manner. The subject is also an under-studied phenomenon in the United States, in contrast with Britain, Norway, and Sweden. In the past, studies on bullying have focused on the pathology of the bully instead of on the whole school culture, or bullying has…

Using surveys and data from the Dallas Public School District (Texas), this study examined the perceptions of parents, students, and teachers about parents' involvement in their children's education and development. In addition, academic achievement at the two study schools was examined. At one school (School A), 63 of 100 parents surveyed…

This paper examines the process of constructing a student-centered World Wide Web site and provides recommendations for improving this process. In the project, preservice teachers instructed the fifth grade students about how to design and develop a Web site on weather. The topics of the sessions included Internet ethics, using the Web,…

This curriculum unit, incorporating an art specialist's experience and knowledge gained in Mexico as a participant in the Fulbright-Hays Summer Seminars Abroad Program, focuses on the creation of a ceramic shrine by 75 fifth graders. The ceramic shrine described in the unit uses clay, paint, varnish, collage materials, and tin for…

Developing financial fitness requires developing a knowledge base and then applying it. This teacher guide and student workouts package contains 15 lessons from students at grades 3-5, divided into 4 theme areas of earning and income, saving, spending and borrowing, and managing money. The development of knowledge for use in the everyday life of…

This report describes a program for improving inconsistent reading comprehension. The targeted population consisted of first, third, and fifth grade classrooms in a diverse middle class community located in Illinois. The problems of low academic achievement were documented through teacher observation, reading comprehension test scores, and low…

Based on the 1998 Arkansas English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks, this sample curriculum model for grade five language arts is divided into sections focusing on writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated goals are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing…

Children can learn to express themselves through the performing arts in constructive ways. Theater, specifically, employs the use of all dimensions of learning. In this lesson, students will engage in basic theater techniques for creating a character through movement and voice. The lesson, lasting 5 class periods, introduces them to guidelines for…

The Civil War was perhaps the greatest turning point in U.S. history. The dual themes of slavery and power deeply divided the growing nation during the first half of the 19th century. The mission of the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) is to preserve the significant Civil War battlefields by protecting the land and educating the public about…

School psychologists are in a unique position to add to the discussion about accountability efforts and the effect on students, teachers, and education. At the end of North Carolina's 2000-2001 school year, End-of-Grade (EOG) scores will be used to hold individual students accountable for their own achievement. Fifth graders will be required to…

This profile is designed as a recording sheet for monitoring an individual student's progress throughout the school year. Fifth grade assessment materials and the "Strategies for Instruction in Mathematics" suggest tasks and questions that can be used for on-going and summative assessment. Directions for use and descriptions of levels of…

Beginning in Spring 1998, Virginia students participated in the Standards of Learning (SOL) assessments designed to test student knowledge of the content and skills specified in the state's standards. This document contains questions that approximately 80,000 students in grade 5 were required to answer as part of the SOL assessments. These…

This study compared successive formats (booklets) to simultaneous formats (display boards) to determine whether simultaneous formats increase instructional effectiveness and whether a topic of higher interest provides more learning than one of lower interest. Findings suggest older children may achieve higher learning levels with simultaneous…

Fifty-six fifth- and sixth-grade children, manifesting depressive symptoms as judged by teachers and in response to a self-report depression battery, were assigned to one of four intervention conditions: role play, cognitive restructuring, attention placebo, or control. Most improvements were observed in the role-play treatment. (Author/CTM)