Methods for teaching students to recognize and manipulate structures of cohesion in reading materials are discussed. Teaching students to connect text involves a strategy that combines reading and writing in student- and teacher-directed activities. An example illustrates how the strategy can be applied with specific course content, a ninth-grade…

The bulletin provides a general description of the Grade 9 Social Studies Achievement Test, an outline of the objectives to be tested, the test blueprint, test scoring procedures, and sample questions that demonstrate the nature and complexity of the test items. All test questions are drawn from the content of three prescribed topics: selected…

Developed in response to numerous requests from curriculum specialists and classroom teachers, this booklet addresses student assessment in written composition. Its purpose is: (1) to assist teachers in constructing writing prompts which correspond to the TEAMS (Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills) writing objectives and measurement…

This paper reports on a research study which attempted to determine whether competition could generate the same enthusiasm in the classroom (for learning) as it does on the playing field (in sports). Ninth grade world cultures students at Concord-Carlisle High School, Concord, Massachusetts were led to believe that they were competing in an…

Information is presented about the grade 9 mathematics examination to be administered in 1988. Contents include: (1) Introduction; (2) General Information (including Purpose of the Achievement Testing Program, Nature of the Achievement Testing Program, Exemptions from the Achievement Testing Program, Students Receiving Instruction in French,…

To show communications as a total system, West Virginia University's Technology Education Program developed a course called Career Exploration in Technology (CEIT) through an agreement with the Mason County (West Virginia) Public School System. Two graduate students describe their CEIT program, now a required ninth-grade course at Wahama High…

Descriptions of eight exemplary precollege earth science programs are presented. The programs were locally developed, nontext based, and having an extensive laboratory component. The programs emphasize societal issues involving aspects of earth sciences. (CW)

This curriculum unit for Grade 9 combines the classic Shakespeare play "Romeo and Juliet" with three young adult novels: "The Outsiders" (S.E. Hinton), "Summer of My German Soldier" (Bette Greene), and "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" (Elizabeth George Speare). To complete the unit, all students will be…

Discouraged and dissatisfied with their students' responses to a compilation of Arthurian legends, two ninth-grade teachers developed an approach to teaching the legends that exposes students to numerous versions (including those written and illustrated for children) of the legends and allows them to pick their own Arthurian legend for reading and…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. The events of 1945 are regarded widely as a turning point in 20th century history, a point when the United States unequivocally took its place as a world power, at a time when Americans had a strong but…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. By studying a crucial turning point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the result of specific factors, and that they set in motion a series…

This training module on the Roaring River bridge design project was developed for a problem-solving unit in a ninth-grade research and development course. This project requires six to seven class periods and requires students to work in teams of two. The project contains the following information: level; time required; description; objectives;…

The study summarized (in both English and French) in this report, is an evaluation of the listening comprehension and speech skills of ninth grade students in Manitoba's (Canada) French immersion programs. It is intended for parents and teachers in Manitoba involved in the French immersion program. The report consists of an overview of the study,…

Orange County (California) students in grades 9 and 10 compete in an annually held series of 10 competitive events measuring academic strengths. These events include tests in grammar and literature, fine arts, mathematics, science, social science, study skills, and a super quiz--a team event held before a large audience. In addition, there are…

Half of all Hispanics living in the United States aged 25 or over have not finished high school. According to the 2-year longitudinal study from which this report is drawn, 64.4 percent of the 700 ninth-grade students in the sample reported that their fathers or stepfathers did not complete high school. For mothers and stepmothers, the percentage…