Three years ago, the author was a newly minted library media specialist, a bit green, but excited, enthusiastic, and ready to educate her middle school students. Once she learned that four out of the twenty-five sixth grade classes she was required to teach were bilingual "Dual Language Classes," the author was determined to use her background in…

Presents two dialogues between a first grade teacher and a sixth grade teacher, one discussing student self-evaluations, and the other focusing on similarities and differences between first- and sixth-grade students. (MM)

Questions if it is possible that any place still exists without pressure to teach to the test. Describes one school district that has been able to do so by creating a vision that allows educators to work as professionals. (SG)

Describes the development of a Young Teens Advisory Board (YTAB) at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Shirley, New York. Reviews the progress the group has made from its formation in 1987 to the present and describes programs and events organized by the YTAB to bring sixth, seventh, and eighth graders into the library. (JMV)

This article describes the transition program at Goodyear Junior High in Akron, Ohio. Beginning in the spring, it helps reduce the adjustment anxiety of sixth graders and their parents by familiarizing them with the school and preparing them for the junior high school experience. Some evaluative feedback is cited. (SJL)

Describes the computer as a hammer, a tool with unique qualities that allows people to perceive, manipulate, and express language in ways quite different from traditional media. Explores the tool of the multimedia presentation, a common use of technology in classrooms today. Describes a simple project with sixth graders that incorporates reading,…

Explains how school library media specialists can create and use crostic puzzles to help sixth graders learn references skills. Teaching basic reference skills and research skills is discussed with emphasis on index skills, and three sample crostic puzzles (with answers) are provided. (LRW)

Describes a field trip in which 6th grade students traveled to Florence, Italy. Delineates the planning necessary to make such trips beneficial and rewarding, identifying the responsibilities of teachers, parents, students, and the school administration. Argues that international field trips offer unparalleled opportunities for growth in both…

Describes a project of a Speech Communication Association Task Force that culminated in developing a list of major speaking and listening skills for elementary school students. Covers background, specific skills, their assessment, and ways to teach these skills. (PD)

For many White Mountain Apache children, their first contact with the English language occurs in Head Start and day care programs, thus forcing them to learn to read and write a language they seldom use. This situation led the tribe to develop an Apache bilingual/bicultural program in which an orthography based on the letters of the English…

Describes a sixth grade class in which students examined World War II throughout a school year. Identifies curiosity as the factor that helped children most in learning about the war. Reviews teaching strategies used and kinds of questions students asked. Discusses student problems with the vocabulary of the subject matter. Includes student…

Describes an award winning, multicultural enrichment program for sixth grade students in the District of Columbia public schools. Pairs students with participating foreign embassies in Washington. Includes study of the adopted country's culture, the functions of an embassy, and a mini United Nations in which the students represent their adopted…

Evaluates the effectiveness of a sixth grade experimental language arts program designed to teach higher-level thinking skills. Reports on different types of instruments for measuring higher-level thinking skills, including verbal and nonverbal tests of divergent thinking, a nonverbal test of flexible thinking, and a verbal divergent production…

Describes an alternative method of placing students in reading groups which reduces reliance on achievement tests, yet remains manageable enough for large groups of students. Describes the six formal and informal measures used in placement: achievement test scores, IQ scores, attitude scores, current placement, grade in reading, and teacher…

Describes a skills development program based on research and writing subskills. Includes analyzing questions, devising a form to record information, researching and reporting findings, and supporting a point of view in persuasive essay. Explains that the program through three years of middle school, adding and refining skills each year. Suggests…