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…

Presents a collection of teaching activities suitable for students in the upper grades. These activities focus on practical programming projects, use of word processors for learning a foreign language, an Atari program for making a starburst, and a program (with deliberate errors) to determine the thickness of folded paper. (JN)

Art teachers at the middle school or junior high school level usually find themselves in a program teaching ceramics. The most essential tools needed for a ceramics class are discussed. Different kinds of clay are also discussed. (RM)

A teacher describes what happened when she discovered that a blind student had been mainstreamed into one of her fifth-grade art classes. (RM)

A program is described that successfully involves parents in their child's education at a middle school in Louisiana. (MD)

At the turn of the 19th century, the United States was a rapidly growing nation. When the United States acquired territories in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, the job of maintaining open sea lanes fell to the U.S. Navy. To maintain a strong and well-trained force, the Navy needed to attract personnel to work onboard their ships. It used…

All lessons in this unit of study are designed to introduce some of the basic elements of poetry (simile, metaphor, alliteration, sensory language, etc.) while exposing students to a realistic slice of Appalachian life. Appropriate grade levels and a time frame are suggested, and relevant Virginia Standards of Learning are outlined in the unit.…

Forty-six intermediate and junior high students with disabilities (learning, emotional disturbance, mental retardation) participated in a noncompetitive Math Olympics. Teams of students participated in game-like activities involving basic skills, calculators, problem solving, and place value. Guidelines for planning a Math Olympics focus on…

Twelve mildly handicapped students, aged 10-12, used the "Add-A-Word" spelling program to learn words frequently misspelled in creative writing. The percentage of words spelled correctly in creative writing increased dramatically, and correct spelling of words from a spelling list was generalized to creative writing. (Author/JDD)

The article details a program in which gifted upper elementary grade students used videomicroscopy in a study of microscopic life in pond water. Each child produced a narrated videotape of a specific species studied. Program evaluation confirmed the motivational benefits of early opportunities with scientific instrumentation and methodology. (DB)

Computers were successfully integrated into the mathematics program of fifth and sixth graders, with a special emphasis placed on learning to develop computer programs in order to develop skills in math problem solving. Such experience with computers can aid in the early attainment of advanced mathematical concepts. (Author/PB)

This presents several classroom activities that have been adapted from the Expedition Yellowstone program activities for fourth, fifth and sixth graders. Language arts, science, math, and social studies activities are presented. Expedition Yellowstone activities focus on the geology, ecology, animal life, and history of Yellowstone Park. (IAH)

Using sequential chains of regular n-gons in a row with one side touching, as for example, one triangle, two triangles, three triangles, and so on, students graph the length of the perimeter versus the number of n-gons and determine the functional relationship for different values of n. (MKR)

Discusses the use of primary resources in the teaching of middle school social studies. Describes a lesson in which students were given a copy of the Declaration of Independence, written in everyday language, and were asked to discuss and evaluate it. Suggests another activity based on Thomas Jefferson's writings. (SG)

Offers classroom activities for instructing middle school students about religious diversity in the United States. Incorporates a poster that invites student speculation about the Amish lifestyle. Suggests having students examine what they know about U.S. religions and what life would be like without religious freedom. (SG)