During 1974, materials developed by the Australian Science Education Projects (ASEP) became available in final published form. The publication of these materials was an especially important undertaking since ASEP was the first national curriculum project, in any subject area, to be developed in Australia. This report presents research into four…

Disadvantaged elementary school students can be taught to think critically as part of the process of learning to read. The key to student change is teacher knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to inform the development of powerful teaching strategies for reading instruction as used in Accelerated Schools. The Accelerated School is a…

Television viewing by children is a major concern of parents, legislators, and educators in the United States today. By high school graduation a young person will have watched 15,000 hours of television as compared to 11,000 to 12,000 hours spent in school. Concerned groups fear a loss of reading ability, the development of a consumer mentality,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the achievement of some abstract concepts in "molecular genetics" and prior knowledge, formal reasoning ability, and sex. The major findings of the study were: (1) prior knowledge had a high significant correlation with the achievement of abstract concepts; (2) the…

This simulation uses a science fiction setting to capture the unparalled adventure, danger, and uncertainty of the colonization period in United States history. The simulation can be done in small groups or individually, and value judgments affect the outcome of the simulation. The premise of the simulation is that due to overpopulation,…

The purpose of this handbook is to familiarize the user with the organization of the California State University-Sacramento (CSUS) library. As part of a course requirement, the handbook is designed to provide the student with information necessary to perform assignments in the library independently of librarians and support staff, and as a…

Developing individuals who can think and read critically when confronted by the language of commercial and political persuaders is an important goal of reading instruction and of education in general. To make students capable of dealing with the omnipresent propaganda of the modern world, teachers themselves must have a functional concept of…

One of a series of teacher-developed curriculum guides, this secondary level social studies guide is intended to encourage student participation and involvement in important social issues. The unit, which can be completed in four to six weeks or extended over a semester or year, begins by inviting students to explore reasons why it may seem…

The effects of instruction in critical thinking are investigated, using instructional materials based on a theoretical model of critical thinking. The model emphasized the role of concepts and processes in responding to instances of valid and invalid reasoning, argument, and evidence. Instruction focused on eight cognitive operations:…

Students Asking Questions (SAQ) has proved to be a simple, effective method for teaching urban third grade students to generate literal, inferential, and critical questions from their readings of instructional materials. Teachers using the SAQ method prepare students for reading a selection from a basal reader by offering one literal, one…

Integrating concepts of basic citizenship education with community involvement, this experiential curriculum provides a means for developing decision making and critical thinking skills within the existing fifth grade social studies curriculum. The 12 lessons cover the following concepts: responsibilities, rules and laws, involvement vs.…

Intended to provide supplementary material for existing courses in the various content areas, the activities in this book are designed to help high school students approach the act of reading in a more critical fashion. The book is divided into three sections, each of which contains approximately one term's work. The first section deals with…

Teaching enquiry methods, that is, skills concerned with constructing knowledge from available information and searching for new information, is the subject of this study, which provides a background to the subject as well as a review of research. The study sought to answer the question of whether problem-solving performances of primary school…

A project to create a competency-based B.A. degree in history or a competence-certification program was undertaken jointly by Sangamon State University and Illinois Central College. The project involved defining competence in history, specifying evaluation procedures, and restructuring the history curriculum. Competencies and assessment techniques…

The booklet identifies 217 geography skills to be acquired by students in kindergarten through grade six. It is intended to help teachers in developing geographical strands and outcomes in the elementary social studies curriculum. Skills are presented for three grade levels: kindergarten through grade two, grades three and four, and grades five…