This document presents a guide to help students, who are entering the ninth grade, and their parents prepare for the transition from middle school to high school. The booklet is organized around a series of questions that students might ask themselves as they begin to plan for their high school careers. Each question is considered and discussed to…

Describes an alternative program for ninth-graders "having adjustment problems." The voluntary program includes simple and consistent classroom rules, frequent graded assignments, and a focus on relevance to students' life experiences; students are encouraged to do schoolwork through a system of group rewards. (MCG)

Ninth grade boys are motivated by a project which involves them in making designs for their t-shirts and a class banner, using a paint called DEKA Iron-On. A dried painting executed with this medium can be transferred to synthetic fabrics. (RM)

Describes an art activity in which ninth-grade students developed a graphic language from the system of symbols used in sign language. Students learned to sign, practiced with deaf students, and experimented with mirroring hand movements graphically. The exercise increased student awareness of rhythm and visual cues in nonverbal communication. (AM)

Compares the performance of ninth-grade students on 30 common test items given during the First (1970) and Second (1983) International Science Study, including differences related to sex. Findings, among others, show that overall, students in 1983 scored higher than their predecessors in 1970. (JN)

Suggests that in social studies class, instructional methodology becomes the link between the subject matter and what is learned. Offers "All Roads Lead to Rome," a unit plan in which students have opportunities to become self-directed in their work. Provides lessons involving study skills, chronology, and culture and daily life. (SG)

The paper discusses the Global Awareness Test administered to 6,396 grade 9 students in New Brunswick, Canada at the beginning and end of the 1987 school year. The test was designed to better assess the impact of the grade 9 social studies program and the activities of New Brunswick's Global Education Centre. By comparing the results of the pre-…

Reports ninth-grade students reactions to statements about science and how science affects their lives. Data taken from the questionnaires of the Second International Science Study indicated that students had a positive view of science but seemed to become more critical as science began to have an impact on their lives. (ML)

Describes a two-year campaign by ninth grade students in an English class to get state and national legislation recognizing an annual Children's Day passed. The steps of the campaign and the language arts and social studies learning used by students are discussed. (AM)

With the help of experts and resources from several departments, a high school developed a course in health education. Designed specifically for ninth-graders, the course presents activity-based instruction on topics of fitness and nutrition, substance abuse, stress management, and human relations. (JN)

Recounts the details of a teacher's feelings about leaving her class to go on jury duty. Tells how she related her jury experiences to the class and had the students interpret information from a short story in a mock courtroom presentation. (RL)

The author provides a personal account of the actions taken by several teachers at Naperville High School to individualize a traditional Freshman English course through learning modules and a credit/no credit grading system. (Editor/SJL)

Describes a simulation designed by two Canadian teachers to help ninth-grade students learn about Canadian politics and government in both theory and practice. (RM)

The purpose of this booklet is to provide administrators, teachers, and students in Alberta, Canada, with samples of students' writing that exemplify the criteria used to score students' written responses on the June 1991 Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test. The Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test consisted of two parts: Part A: Multiple…

Presents findings of a study (by Rosanne Fortner) which determined: (1) the impact of a Jacques Cousteau television documentary on ninth-grade students' knowledge and attitudes; (2) whether the same information presented by a classroom teacher would have a similar impact; and (3) if knowledge/attitude changes are retained for two weeks. (JN)