Describes an extra credit science project in which students compete to see who can build the most efficient water rocket out of a two-liter pop bottle. Provides instructions on how to build a demonstration rocket and launching pad. (MDH)

The effect of inservice teacher training on student perceptions of classroom environment was investigated. Teachers received training on lesson format, classroom management, and instruction in either September or January. Their students completed the Classroom Environment Scale. Student groups differed in perception of student affiliation but not…

Study tested the effects of an experiment-based physical science program on cognitive outcomes with 556 urban fourth through eighth graders. Teachers implemented the hands-on Quantitative Approach to Elementary Science program consisting of 22 physical science experiments. Results indicate the program influenced only science process skills and…

Reports on a study of the impact of attending restructured schools on the achievement and engagement of 8,845 eighth graders from public, Catholic, and independent schools. Finds modest, but consistently positive, effects on both achievement and engagement. Also finds that students attending smaller schools demonstrated more academic achievement.…

National survey identified home environmental characteristics that differentiated low-achieving African-American eighth graders with low academic expectations from those with unrealistically high expectations. Family influence differed among groups. Low achievers with high expectations came from homes with greater parental involvement, higher…

In an experimental project, additional school health instruction was offered to eighth and ninth graders by infusing health topics and activities into required English classes. Eight teachers were trained to participate. Interviews with the teachers indicated; they and their students enjoyed the project; students increased health knowledge; and…

Using data from a national study of instructional practices in 7th- through 8th-grade science classes, this study examined a subset of Christian school teachers to determine what instructional practices predominated in Christian-school science classes. Results indicated that participants used 10 teaching methods (six constructivist and four…

The New Standards Project, attempting to create an assessment system comprised of performance exams, portfolios and projects, may not have fulfilled its promise to create a national system of tests worth teaching to. However, NSP did deliver high- quality professional-development opportunities for hundreds of teachers across the nation. (Contains…

Discusses a study of grades six, eight, and ten students in the Netherlands to whom grade-appropriate measures of reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge were administered in their native language, Dutch, as well as in English. The aim was to explore relative contributions to native language and foreign language reading comprehension of a…

How student work is constructed in the classroom and how science lessons are related to the construction was studied with two Swedish female students in grades 8 and 9. Differences in their grades and social networks seemed to be mirrored in their classroom interactions. The meaning of "science" for these students differed from usual…

To determine students' areas of concern while moving from middle- to high-school level, two college deans surveyed all eighth- and ninth-graders in four northwest Georgia school systems. Comprehensive transitional programs targeted concerns about curriculum, facilities, safety, discipline, staff, and general routines. A Wisconsin transition…

Describes research on the development of a measure of student metacognition. The brief, domain-independent measure serves as a collateral measure in construct validation, supporting exploration of the self-regulatory demands of performance assessment. Results show that metacognition can be directly and explicitly measured in the context of…

Describes the underlying philosophical and cultural changes associated with classroom organizational changes in one eighth-grade teacher's attempts to implement National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards. Observations and interviews indicated that there were two distinct cultures ("book world" and organic or…

Looks at how technology has changed an eighth-grade teacher's world of teaching and learning in a variety of ways, including: professional growth; connecting the writing process with word processing; presentation of information (such as short story elements or parts of speech); research on and access to the Internet; electronic literary magazines…

Patterns of consumption and production are not sustainable in developed/developing countries. In developed countries, the levels of pollution, especially those causing global change, are far too high and trends go in the wrong direction. In developing countries, there is too much strain on the local resource base, and this strain is increasing due…