Research evidence suggests that summer breaks contribute to income-based achievement and opportunity gaps for children and youth. However, summertime can also be used to provide programs that support an array of goals for children and youth, including improved academic achievement, physical health, mental health, social and emotional well-being,…

This guide is designed to facilitate self-studies of planning and implementation of state-required summer reading camp programs for grade 3 students who scored at the lowest level on the state reading assessment. It provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve instruction and increase the number of…

Describes an experiment in "reflective teaching" used to develop a Directed Reading-Thinking Activities approach for improving reading comprehension with a group of third grade students. Includes an 11-item list of instructional materials and examples of student-developed materials. (FMW)

The reading learning objectives contained in this volume are congruent with the Texas "State Board of Education Rules for Curriculum" which outlines the rules and procedures for implementation of Section 21.101 of the Texas Education Code. These objectives and the measurement specifications are provided for use by teachers and other…

The development and evaluation of Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL), an experimental curriculum to enhance children's reading comprehension, are described in this report. The report opens with a summary of the project, in which 20 modules--each focusing on a different strategy--were designed and 60 lesson plans were developed. This section…

This document is comprised of four consecutive issues (Winter 1998-Fall 1999) of a newsletter published quarterly to provide information on current research and practice to early childhood professionals teaching in the primary grades in Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, and Montana. The winter 1998 issue focuses on retention in the early grades,…

A third-grade teacher and her students used the Foxfire practice of reflection to analyze student projects in reading. Analysis of student comments and levels of participation indicate that elementary-age students are capable of using high-level thinking skills to improve the quality of their work. (LP)

Proposing that teachers can help children learn more effectively by promoting metacognition and the acquisition of problem solving strategies, this report describes research studying the effectiveness of the experimental curriculum, Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL), in increasing third and fifth grade students' reading comprehension skills.…

This inservice professional development module, part of the Alabama Reading Initiative, presents research summaries, notes for presenters, and activities. The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics module clarifies that skilled readers are accurate and automatic decoders (i.e., they have the alphabetic principle). Phonics instruction must empower all…

This manual for third grade French instruction accompanies the early French immersion program. It is based on general and specific learning objectives for the four language skills the child needs to develop. The introduction to the manual provides an overview of the program for the primary grades and learning objectives for the four language…

Described in this document are the minimum competency requirements that Arizona students must master before they can leave third grade. These requirements were mandated by the K-3 Improvement Plan first implemented in the 1986-87 school year. The first section of the document, which discusses revision of the K-3 skills list, covers background…

The curriculum guide for teachers of Spanish language arts for native Spanish-speaking primary students in the Chicago public schools' bilingual education program is introduced by a section outlining the program and defining the areas to be emphasized in the program: word attack, comprehension skills, study skills, and literature appreciation.…

The curriculum guide for teachers of Spanish language arts for native Spanish-speaking primary students in the Chicago public schools' bilingual education program is introduced by a section outlining the program and defining the areas to be emphasized in the program: word attack, comprehension skills, study skills, and literature appreciation.…

The Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills (TEAMS) was developed by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), in response to Texas House Bill 72 (1984), which mandated a new basic skills assessment program for mathematics, reading, and writing at grades 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. This is one in a series of Instructional Strategies Guides designed to…

Designed for use by basic education teachers, this teaching guide outlines a summer school communication skills program for at-risk students which seeks to build self-esteem through high-interest, success-oriented experiences and to enhance language development by providing opportunities to use language in meaningful situations. The guide…