Aligned with its 1998 standards for first- and second-language learning, Alberta Learning has published lesson plans that aim for a closer relationship between learning and evaluation. Each volume in this series presents a specific task for students that involves planning, carrying out and evaluating their work. The task for eighth grade students…

Assessed is the level of scientific and natural resource knowledge possessed by fourth-, eighth- and eleventh-grade students. Misconceptions are noted. Discussed are implications for teaching about acidic deposition. (CW)

Describes a skills development program based on research and writing subskills. Includes analyzing questions, devising a form to record information, researching and reporting findings, and supporting a point of view in persuasive essay. Explains that the program through three years of middle school, adding and refining skills each year. Suggests…

Reports on 2 studies of 48 eighth-grade students in which mnemonic devices and strategies were employed. Finds that both regular and learning-disabled students preferred mnemonic instruction to traditional teaching methods. Concludes that mnemonic methods can help improve student learning of historical information. (CFR)

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) shows U.S. 4th graders scoring above the international average in both math and science, 8th graders slipping in both subjects, and 12th graders scoring at or near the bottom. Research indicates high expectations, a focused curriculum, better-prepared teachers, and balanced instruction…

This document is the second of two reports of the findings of the 1991 "Sciences...humaines" Assessment for grades 8 and 10 conducted in Franco-Manitoban schools and in French immersion programs in Manitoba, Canada. The report on the French immersion course is presented in parallel French and English versions, and a separate report, in…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a congressionally mandated statistical survey of educational achievement of U.S. students in a variety of curriculum areas and of changes in that achievement over time. The National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) established new standards for reporting the results that resulted in three…

This curriculum support package is intended to assist grades 5-8 teachers in Manitoba to start the process of integrating and implementing sustainable development in science and social studies courses. Containing four sections, the first section briefly outlines the origins of sustainable development, how it evolved, why it should be taught, what…

This document summarizes a civics course for primary schools in Poland, grades 6-8. The curriculum was developed as part of the Education for Democratic Citizenship in Poland Project, a cooperative effort of the Polish Ministry of National Education and the Mershon Center, The Ohio State University (United States). The project aims to help schools…

An award winning project for incorporating economics study into the junior high school curriculum is described. As a joint activity of 3 eighth grade social studies classes, 60 students created a videotape program to teach and test 6 basic economic concepts: scarcity and choice, opportunity costs, productive resources, production, supply and…

Developed as part of the Arkansas Minimum Performance Testing Program (MPT), these item specifications relate to the eighth grade language arts minimum performance test. There is one item specification for each instructional objective included in the MPT. Item specifications are intended to provide an overview of the general content and format of…

This manual was developed to assist classroom teachers responsible for implementing the grades 8 and 9 integrated occupational social studies program in Alberta, Canada. It contains: (1) information about the goals and objectives of the curriculum; (2) thematic contexts for the delivery of prescribed knowledge, skills, and attitudes; (3)…

This practicum intervention was designed to improve the effectiveness of a middle school's interdisciplinary teams. While the school's sixth grade teams were judged to be effective in implementing the district's philosophy, two seventh grade and two eighth grade teams, composed of 18 teachers and 588 students, were among 70 interdisciplinary teams…

A study investigated how eighth grade students used a microcomputer-based word processing system for composing. Five students, with a range of writing skills, used the technology across 10 class sessions. Data were gathered through interviews with the students about their models for composing, experiences that influenced their writing development,…

These lessons are part of a project to make the study of law and legal concepts an integral part of the North Carolina state social studies state curriculum, and the materials are correlated to this curriculum. Six lesson goals and numerous activities focus on the legal concepts of authority, justice, and responsibility. This packet for grade…