This qualitative study examined the complexities of mutually engaging across differing positionalities (students and students, students and teacher) while intentionally working in spaces of distress (e.g. push and pull between oppression and liberation). The findings demonstrated the ways in which building a beloved community while situated within…

Proposes a practical approach for implementing the seventh grade curriculum of California's History-Social Science Framework (1988). States that the emphasis placed on each of the 11 units can be framed in the context of the individual classroom. Advocates building a context (including content and thinking processes) which makes information…

Cognitive coaching, a process allowing teachers to explore the thinking behind their practice, can reveal incompletely developed areas of individuals' cognitive mapping. Cognitive coaching uses a three-phase cycle (preconference, observation, and postconference) to help teachers improve instructional effectiveness by becoming more reflective about…

This study examined non-traditional methods in teaching spelling and vocabulary using music and rhythm in instruction. Subjects were 4 at-risk students in a class of 29 students in a seventh-grade classroom at a middle school in Marin County, California. A musical component was added to instruction as part of the seventh-grade students' processing…

Reports a study that examined acculturation and its association with smoking and other correlates of smoking for Latino seventh graders. Students completed surveys on demographics, smoking prevalence, parent attitudes, and acculturation. Results indicated that as young Latinos became more acculturated, psychosocial influences on smoking changed…

This document is a response to teachers' requests for practical assistance in implementing California's history-social science framework. The document offers stimulating ideas to enrich the teaching of history and social science, enliven instruction for every student, focus on essential topics, and help make learning more memorable. Experiences…

The key way for government to legislate the scientific revolution is to know when science threatens to ethically destroy the fabric of society. The U.S. President has asked you (the student), his senior advisor, to test the waters of this new science and evaluate what stance he needs to take regarding issues like cloning, cryogenics, assisted…

The effects of school policy on cigarette smoking among seventh graders were investigated in this study. All of the schools involved had restrictive smoking policies and many had smoking prevention education plans. Although punitive measures were found to have no effect, smoking policy generally was found to decrease adolescent smoking. (AF)

With so many natural resources in peril today, people need to examine how they excavate an archaeological site on land or a Spanish galleon found buried in an ocean coral reef. In this activity plan for seventh graders, the task involves a letter from the National Oceanographic Association (NOA) announcing the opportunity for university marine…

This monograph provides activities for beginning algebra students to develop an understanding of the meaning and use of letter symbols, to show applications of algebra in their own lives, and to develop an understanding of mathematical processes through investigation. The activities included were developed by considering the students' mathematical…

A study examined the hypothesis that learning strategy coupled with efficacy-building teaching interactions would lead to greater strategic learning than learning strategy instruction alone. A reading comprehension strategy was taught to 184 students from 4 Los Angeles County (California) public and independent schools. Included were 65…

This packet of maps is an auxiliary resource to the "World History and Geography: Medieval and Early Modern Times. Course Models for the History-Social Science Framework, Grade Seven." The set includes: outline, precipitation, and elevation maps; maps for locating key places; landform maps; and historical maps. The list of maps are…

This paper describes a study that investigated the interchangeability of four different assessment methods for measuring middle-school students' understanding of science concepts. The four methods compared were hands-on tasks with associated multiple-choice and written justification items, written analogues of the hands-on tasks, and two types of…

In this California state curriculum model for grade 7, "World History and Geography: Medieval Society," students study the life, work, and philosophy of Cesar Chavez. They learn about the ideas and philosophies that have withstood the test of time and emerged in Chavez's work and actions. Students examine Chavez's ancestral heritage link…

Divided into small groups in this grade 7 interdisciplinary world history and language arts unit, students are asked to examine and debate the fate of artifacts and art work removed from its original country through war and imperialism. Students are assigned roles and provided with detailed instructions on how to prepare presentations describing…