The "Contemporary Health Series" covers critical health and family life topics in a sequence of modules with two curricular divisions: "Into Adolescence" for middle school teachers and "Entering Adulthood" for high school teachers. This module presents middle school students with the information they need to become knowledgeable, concerned…

The "Contemporary Health Series" covers critical health and family life topics in a sequence of modules with two curricular divisions: "Into Adolescence" for middle school teachers and "Entering Adulthood" for high school teachers. This module presents a tobacco "no use" message to students in grades five through eight through a series of eight…

Asserts that children in junior high and middle school may be reluctant to participate in the process of counseling. Recommends that school counselors use therapeutic techniques that actively involve children and excite their imagination. Examines three such techniques that work with middle school students: game play, stories and metaphors, and…

This curriculum unit provides educators with 10 lessons designed to make sexuality education culturally relevant for Latino youth in grades five through eight. While affirming the traditions and characteristics of Latino families and cultures, this structured curriculum introduces sexuality as a lifelong process that goes beyond physical intimacy.…

Physical educators can teach preadolescents safe training methods and help them set realistic goals congruent with their needs and abilities without sophisticated and costly equipment. A cooperative strength training program with appropriate instructional methods is described. (MT)

Discusses middle schools' phenomenal growth over the past 20 years. Compared with junior high schools, middle schools provide better transition between elementary and high school, offer broader and more flexible programs, and focus on early adolescent needs. Problems of identity and inadequate teacher education are also discussed. Includes 32…

Examines suicide attempts and completions among middle school students to alert middle school counselors to the reality of child suicide. Discusses common symptomatic areas under the categories of drug abuse, social influences, acting out, pubescence, depression, and nuclear threat. Offers suggestions for the prevention of child suicide and…

The ages between 10 and 14 years represent a period of transition between childhood and adolescence when feelings of confusion, anxiety, excitement, and frustration are widely experienced. During this period, early adolescents undergo major developmental changes. Educators working with these young people need accurate knowledge of early…

The "Contemporary Health Series" covers critical health and family life topics in a sequence of modules with two curricular divisions: "Into Adolescence" for middle school teachers and "Entering Adulthood" for high school teachers. This module presents a six-lesson curriculum for grades five through eight to provide students with the information…

Perceptive principals and teachers can use to their advantage the effects of peer pressure on 10- to 14-year-old children. Schools should provide these middle-grade students with clear expectations, predictable consequences for undesirable behavior, and frequent rewards for positive actions. Conclusions of research on grade grouping are…

This monograph advances the middle school educational philosophy and explores its special contribution to secondary schooling. The first chapter attributes middle school origins to experimentation with various junior high school grade configurations serving young adolescents since the 1920s. The next two chapters address middle school rationale…

This survey of audiovisual productions on the topic of youth suicide identified all available audiovisual productions in the area of adolescent suicides through existing catalogs and reviews, contacts, and specialized database searches; 99 films or videotape productions were then screened and reviewed as part of the development of a catalog by the…

One public library's storytelling program for fourth through eighth graders and their grandparents has preserved grandparents' stories and fostered family communication. Storytelling was done one-on-one, with each child then writing and illustrating the story. Benefits included preservation of oral history and encouragement of storytelling,…

Notes that, although literature on middle school teaching focuses on developmental stresses of young adolescents, it rarely offers specific ways to respond to student behaviors associated with these changes. Delineates the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional motivations behind typical early adolescent behaviors and then offers middle school…

A program was designed to provide gifted preadolescent students with a better resistance to stress. Based on the stress inoculation procedure, the program's six sessions gradually exposed students to stressful situations through imagery techniques and role-playing, while helping them apply newly learned coping skills. (JDD)