Insects are fascinating creatures--especially when you and your students get up close and personal with them! To that end, the authors facilitated an inquiry-based investigation with an emphasis on identification of the different types of insects found in the school yard, their characteristics, their habitat, and what they eat, while engaging the…

The purpose of this action research project was to investigate the effects of family involvement training on the success of ELL students, as demonstrated by their reading scores, attendance, and behavior. Additionally, the effects of family involvement training on parents' feelings of self-efficacy were measured. Volunteering families of…

This study is an investigation of whether social skills training provided by paraprofessionals to elementary grade children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in both partially and fully included classrooms can result in perceived gains in social skills as measured by teacher ratings. Results showed that several areas of social responsiveness…

Richard Louv's "Last Child in the Woods" (2008) added to a growing consensus to get children outside and experiencing nature. Using ideas from place-based education, the authors present a simple year-long project that brings science, nature, and other curriculum standards to life right in your school yard. With a focus on journaling, this project…

Rates of problem behavior at urban elementary school playgrounds are of growing concern. The purpose of this study was to examine how the implementation of a recess intervention within the context of School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SwPBS), a systemwide, team-driven, data-based decision-making continuum of support, affected disruptive…

In this descriptive case study, we describe a 10-day program of study of motion down inclined planes during which a class of 21 second graders investigated scientific relations such as mass and speed, speed and momentum, and mass and momentum via both text-based experiences ("second-hand investigations") and hands-on, materials-based experiments…