This practicum was designed to provide a setting where negative attitudes toward reading in eight eighth-grade literature students (in a small private school in a large southeastern city) would be modified. The practicum aimed to provide students with regular opportunities for successful experiences in reading, and to promote the enjoyment of…

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…

This practicum was designed to develop performance-based assessment tools to document language arts achievement for use in eighth-grade language arts classes. Two eighth grade language arts classes (55 students) participated in the program for an entire school year, maintaining a writing portfolio and a record-keeping portfolio. A video portfolio…

This practicum involved developing and implementing a comprehensive writing program to improve the academic achievement and increase the writing ability of five home/hospital students in a central Florida county. The target group of home/hospital students was assigned to an eighth grade language arts class. Writing techniques used to build writing…

The high percentage of eighth grade students failing the school district's criterion referenced mathematics test was addressed by the implementation of an instructional alignment program. Program goals included test mastery by 75 percent of the targeted population, establishment of practical significance for the approach, and a reduction in test…

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…

This practicum report describes a study skills program designed to teach organizational skills and notetaking techniques to students in grades eight and nine. The program included in-service teacher workshops designed to promote learning style awareness strategies, foster an interdisciplinary curriculum perspective, and encourage the teaching of…

A practicum was designed to improve the reading growth and achievement of 60 eighth-grade students who were one or more years behind grade level by utilizing CNN Newsroom and the "USA Today" newspaper as an integral part of the reading program. Pre- and posttests were administered to measure outcomes. The six areas measured were: (1)…

This practicum addressed the problem of eighth grade students repeatedly being referred to the school administration because of their disruptive behavior. The maladaptive behavior resulted in diminished student academic performance and adversely affected the students' self-esteem. A group counseling program was implemented which focused on values,…

There are potentially successful students who are failing one or more subjects every year. Many students are spending more than the normal 3 years at the middle school level because of this failure. A program was designed to increase the self-esteem, motivation, and interest of at-risk students, thereby improving their grades. A second aim was to…

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…

This practicum addressed the problem of eighth-grade U.S. history students who did not acquire nor retain the necessary course core vocabulary. This lack of vocabulary acquisition resulted in reduced student performance, lack of understanding, and a poor attitude. The goals were: (1) to increase the student's U.S. history core vocabulary level;…

The problem of school dropouts and at-risk students has many causes. No one cause can be seen clearly as the dominant factor in a child leaving school and the possibility of that student not finishing his high school career. This program addressed the problems of at-risk students with poor social and academic skills. The literature reviewed…

The Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies was established in the community where this practicum was conducted in the 1985-1986 school year, as a part of the county school system. Two years were spent refurbishing the existing building and building exhibits. However, no curriculum existed for the full utilization of these exhibits.…

This practicum was designed to improve the social studies averages of eighth-grade learning disabled students by using direct instruction and small group interaction. A study skills course was developed after student and teacher surveys indicated the need and desire for the class. The course curriculum included outlining skills, multiple choice…