This 9-week mixed-methods study aimed to examine the effect of online reciprocal teaching on fourth grade primary school students' (N = 30) reading comprehension skills and reading motivation. As data collection tools, the "Reading Comprehension Test" was used to determine students' reading comprehension levels, while the…

Literacy practices have changed over the past several years to incorporate modes of representation much broader than language alone, in which the textual is also related to the visual, the audio, the spatial, etc. This book focuses on research and instructional practices necessary for integrating an expanded view of literacy in the classroom that…

Teacher-educators and policy-makers recognize that ongoing training and support for high quality implementation of curricula can be a vital component of systems that ensure the value of education experiences, particularly for students at-risk of school failure (Meisels, 2007; Pew Charitable Trusts, 2007; Pianta, 2005). In particular, there is…

The curriculum deliberations of 3 fourth-grade teachers who met weekly to plan their lessons were explored in this qualitative case study. These teachers participated voluntarily and routinely produced viable plans for the coming week. With their planning meetings recorded and transcribed, the resulting transcripts were analyzed using Schwab's…

In this study, the authors examined the academic performance of 18 urban districts that participated in the 2009 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The districts participated in grade 4 and grade 8 reading and mathematics assessments. Eleven of these districts also participated in the…

The focus in this report is the concept of what it means to "do mathematics" in the context of a group working committee of teachers and researchers committed to reforming mathematics teaching. During a regular meeting of this group of teachers and researchers, the participants explored the mathematical reasoning embedded in one…

Presents a theoretical analysis of how class conditions such as textbook organization and content, compositional characteristics of classes, instructional time and teachers' beliefs can influence the mathematics content that teachers introduce. Looks at implications for further study of teacher decision making, textbook content, and organization.…

Outdoor Biology Instructional Strategies (OBIS) were used successfully to motivate elementary students to learn about biological sciences through outdoor activities in the rural environment. (MH)

To make elementary science students grasp the scientific concepts being taught, teachers must not ignore their preconceived ideas. Instead, teachers must identify misconceptions then help the students test them. The article presents a step-by-step approach that can serve as a model for teaching any science concept. (SM)

Explores relationships among student performance prior to instruction, problems students are assigned and performance after instruction in fourth-grade mathematics. Results indicate that assigning challenging materials may lead to notable gains on test of fourth-grade mathematics. Discusses implication of results for possible modification of…

The goals of this research were to: (1) develop instruments useful in profiling the characteristics of teaching manuals used with grade 4 science textbooks and the effects of those manuals on teacher and pupil activities; (2) look at both high and low inference perspectives in making these profiles; (3) develop two instruments, one for elementary…

This instructional packet is one of 14 school environmental education programs developed for use in the classroom and at the Dahlem Environmental Education Center (DEEC) of the Jackson Community College (Michigan). Provided in the packet are pre-trip activities, field trip activities, and post-trip activities which focus on the natural history of…

"Second Step" is a curriculum designed to reduce impulsive and aggressive behavior in children aged 9 through 12 years, increasing their levels of social competence by teaching skills in empathy, impulse control, and anger management. This guide is part of the "Second Step" series, which includes curricula for…

This book, presented as a conversation among its three authors, offers strategies for theme exploration in whole language classrooms and focuses on the first and fourth grades. The book asserts that exploring a theme with students is the epitome of whole language teaching because students develop language and literacy best when they use language…

Operation Waste Watch is a series of seven sequential learning units which addresses the subject of litter control and solid waste management. Each unit may be used in a variety of ways, depending on the needs and schedules of individual schools, and may be incorporated into various social studies, science, language arts, health, mathematics, and…