Different functions within different forms of aggression were examined in relation to peer-perceived preference and popularity among middle school students. Two hundred and three 7th grade students were nominated by a subset of their grade mates based on indices of likeability, popularity, and aggressiveness. Both linear and curvilinear…

In this study, the authors examined the academic performance of 18 urban districts that participated in the 2009 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP). The districts participated in grade 4 and grade 8 reading and mathematics assessments. Eleven of these districts also participated in the…

Career exploration continues to be the focus of the middle school program in career development and is part of North Carolina's Standard Course of Study. The national experience suggests that the sequential, comprehensive delivery of career development competencies can be easily and effectively accomplished through counselor-teacher collaboration.…

This reference guide is designed to help sixth grade teachers plan for instruction and provides all of the goals and objectives in one document. The guide can be used to link instructional objectives across disciplines, plan integrated units, and assist in assessing student progress over time. Only the very basic components of each discipline…

This guide is the third publication in a series designed to help school districts in North Carolina implement effective second language programs in the middle grades, building on existing elementary programs and connecting with established secondary school programs. The guide first explains the rationale for including second languages in the…

The purpose of this unit is to increase student comprehension of the economic forces at work in regions, states, nations, and the world. Although the unit is intended for North Carolina teachers, it is appropriate for all economic programs. The unit encourages students to examine how geography, available resources, capital investment, and economic…

This learning packet, one in a series of eight, was developed by the Hanging Roek State Park in North Carolina for grade 5 to teach about the geology of the park. Loose-leaf pages are presented in nine sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Park System, the Hanging Rock State Park, the park's activity packet, and to…

This learning packet, one in a group of eight, was developed by the Morrow Mountain State Park in North Carolina for Grades 5-7 to teach about the identification and formation of rocks. Loose-leaf pages are presented in 10 sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Park System, the Morrow Mountain State Park, and to the…

This learning packet, one in a group of eight, was developed by the Crowders Mountain State Park in North Carolina for Grades 5-7 to introduce students to the geology of the Kings Mountain range in the park. Loose-leaf pages are presented in nine sections that contain: (1) introductions to the North Carolina State Park System, the Crowders…

This activity packet provides educators with a series of hands-on interdisciplinary classroom and outdoor education activities for grades 6-8 that focus on geology and prehistoric life at Cliffs of the Neuse State Park, North Carolina. The packet was designed to meet established curriculum objectives of the North Carolina Department of Public…

This curriculum is the result of a grant awarded to three North Carolina middle schools for the purpose of implementing the BASICS: Bridging Vocational and Academic Skills program that was developed at Ohio State University. The program correlates those competencies and skills considered important for learners by academic and career exploration…

Weatherlinker is a unit of curriculum materials designed to enhance the study of meteorological science at the seventh-grade level and to enrich that study through the use of various types of technology. This document consists of a teacher's guide, student handouts, information on telecommunications, and a list of materials that were used by the…

This guide, resulting from a four-site middle school study of the use of computers and related technology in second language instruction, is presented for the use by middle school language teachers. The guide includes lessons, coded to the state teacher handbook for second language instruction, and management hints, sample lesson plans, and other…

This health education curriculum supplement is intended to provide middle school students with a basic core of factual instruction about acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). The instruction is designed on a middle school level of comprehension to present enough selected facts, to demonstrate the logic behind and value of the primary means…

The literacy strategies in this guide provide practical suggestions for teachers, regardless of discipline, to help middle school and high school students move to Levels III and IV on the North Carolina End-of-Grade Reading/Competency Tests. The strategies in the guide are designed for use with "inefficient" readers (not nonreaders).…