Profiles a videoconference that brought together two seventh-grade classes in Connecticut. Over several days, white, middle-class, rural students discussed topical issues with urban black students. Topics raised included diversity, politics, gun control and local issues. Includes students' responses to the program. (MJP)

Engages students in writing their autobiographies through the Family Heritage Booklet, a student-compiled family history social studies project, designed for Texas seventh graders. Includes objectives, materials, and procedures. Contains letter to parents seeking their knowledge on family history. Suggests project boosts student self-esteem and…

Reports on a study comparing the effects of two types of instructional language on students' attitudes and conceptual understanding of recorded orchestral music. Finds that students who were taught using a combination of analytic and figurative language scored significantly higher than those that were taught using only analytic language. (CFR)

Proposes having students write about what they learned from science films as a method of evaluating the effectiveness of the film. Supplies examples of students' writing on films and techniques for exploiting the results. (MDH)

Presents a diagnostic teaching unit in general science designed to identify effective learning strategies for seventh-grade students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders. The unit is intended to identify effective strategies for students in reading comprehension, mathematics problem solving, and memory. Detailed instructions for four…

This study sought to identify effective methods that select, junior high school, social studies teachers found useful in promoting the reading and studying of printed materials. In the course of the research, 78 teachers identified specific procedures they had used to increase seventh, eighth, and ninth grade students' effectiveness in studying…

This paper briefly describes a collaborative project between a special school and a middle school to enhance disability awareness. The project brought 7th graders from the middle school and students from the special school together for combined learning activities and gave 7th graders an opportunity to volunteer help with individual students and…

This activity guide, developed to provide hands-on environmental education activities geared to Hammocks Beach State Park in North Carolina, is targeted for grades 6, 7, and 8 and meets curriculum objectives of the standard course of study established by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Three types of activities are included:…

In this unit, part of the Seeing and Thinking Mathematically in the Middle Grades series, students use mathematics to design and construct a model home from the ground up. Through the process of designing floor plans, constructing walls and roofs, and making cost estimates, students explore key concepts in geometry and measurement and engage in…

The objective of this pretest-posttest Quasi-Experimental Design study was to determine the effects of LOGO Based Instruction (LBI) compared to instruction by teacher lecture and pencil-and-paper activities on: (1) students' understanding of the concepts of point, ray, line, and line segment; (2) students' attitudes toward learning geometry,…

Student involvement in a continuous, integrated, and sequential program of awareness, exposure, and skill development can have an immediate impact upon values clarification and knowledge acquisition, and a long-range effect upon social change and environmental stewardship. Designed to suit the learning styles of students, the activities are…

Information is provided for educators and the general public about the performance of students on the standardized tests administered in 1990 as part of the South Carolina Norm-Referenced Testing (SCNRT) Program. The first section of this report provides background information necessary for interpretation of the results. The second section reports…

Designed for 7th- and 8th-grade students, this teaching unit focuses on the role that Arlington House--Custis-Lee Mansion--(owned by the Washington and Lee families) played both in architectural importance and in history. The unit serves as a vehicle for studying the various roles and cultural distinctions present in antebellum southern society…

This is a handbook intended for use at a 1-day conference for 170 seventh and eighth grade girls, their parents, counselors, and math/science teachers. It is meant to stimulate interest in exploring career options in mathematics and science related areas. Sections included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Conference Objectives"; (3)…

This minicourse has been designed for counselors to use with "About High School, Book 4" of the Educational Opportunities in Virginia publications. It consists of a sequential series of six 45-minute classroom guidance sessions to be conducted with seventh grade students. The course focuses on helping students, with parent involvement,…