A practicum addressed the problem of achieving reading speed and accuracy along with reading comprehension in an eighth grade remedial class, by implementing short timed reading passages and teacher-made speed tapes. Eleven students were pretested and posttested with the Gates-MacGinitie reading test in comprehension, speed, and accuracy. The…

A practicum was developed and implemented to offer adolescent home schoolers a peer group academic workshop setting in which they would improve their writing prowess and social skills. The objectives for the workshop were for 10 of the 13 targeted eighth-grade students in a private home-schooling program in central Florida to participate in class…

In 1998 for the first time, the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) administered a writing assessment at the state level. This report describes the writing achievement of Florida eighth-grade students and compares their overall performance to students in the Southeast region of the United States and the nation (using data from the…

This module is an activity/discussion-centered unit focusing on the importance of shoreline surface area. The module is part of a series designed to be used by teachers, students, and community members to help them utilize community resources in developing and teaching environmental concepts and responsibility, and in seeking ways to solve…

This teacher's guide, one of nine teacher packages developed for use in the sequential, hands-on, field-oriented, K-8 environmental education program of the Martin County Schools in Florida, was developed for use with secondary children in grade eight prior to and after a visit to an environmental studies center located near an estuarine area. The…

This paper presents a description of a northern Florida middle school and of the students enrolled in the school, 92% of whom are African-American. Three quarters of the entire student population is eligible for free or reduced price government assisted lunches. This figure is double the state average. During academic year 1991-92, expenditure per…

This module is an activity and film-oriented unit focusing on the importance of mangroves in the South Florida ecosystem. The module is part of a series designed to be used by teachers, students, and community members to help them utilize community resources in developing and teaching environmental concepts and responsibility, and in seeking ways…

A practicum was developed which implemented various strategies to increase consistently below average reading comprehension scores of eighth-grade students. A targeted group of 16 students with middle ranking stanine scores was selected. Objectives included raising reading comprehension scores using task specific strategies, developing a more…

The course outlined in this curriculum guide, modified to fit the quinmester organization of schools, focuses on the role of the individual as a consumer. The aim of this elective, grades 7-9 course is to help the student develop sound decision-making habits for functioning more effectively in the marketplace and best fulfilling his role as a…

A practicum project emphasizing critical thinking skills was undertaken in an eighth grade history class to make students aware of the nature and seriousness of plagiarism. The 10-week unit was preceded by a reading comprehension test and an essay assignment on a major Civil War battle. Plagiarized portions of the essays were highlighted and the…

Designed as a pre-requisite for other quinmester courses in the politcal studies cluster, this course of study for grades seven through nine, aims at providing the student with basic knowledge about Democracy, and an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of each citizen to make a Democracy work. Course goals are for the student to: 1)…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in the NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. The sample was designed to represent the 8th grade public school population in a state or territory. In 1996, 44 states, the District of Columbia, Guam,…

This teacher's guide to Social Studies was designed for use in the Duval County junior high schools in Jacksonville, Florida. The subjects dealt with are ninth grade American Government and advanced American Government; eighth grade American History and advanced American History; Florida History (for use in seventh, eighth, and ninth grades);…

This unit is designed to give students insight into the British contribution to civilization with study emphasis on those nations that have had political, economic and cultural ties to Great Britain. Geographic and historic factors are outlined as background for study of the development of cultures of the British Isles, India, Kenya, Australia,…

Students in grades seven through nine will examine and analyze the political organization, social structure, economic life, and values of the American Colonial period in this quinmester arranged American Studies course. Since the thirteen English Colonies effected the United States development, many of our nations foundations in government,…