The authors of this article, 4th grade and 6th grade teachers at Castle Rock Elementary School in Colorado, describe their efforts to engage their students in learning. Morgan recounts a math lesson in which he confirmed that 4th graders sometimes need extensive preparation and support to translate their impressive insights into the written word.…

A personal account of teaching creative writing to elementary school students, with information on what the teacher learned about teaching, what classroom techniques she used, and how the students reacted to creative writing and writing for publication. (RL)

Using a sixth grade classroom as an example, this paper discusses balance within the classroom, including balance of instruction and learning, of intentions and actions, and of relationships. This balance holds teachers in positive tension with students, parents, and the school community. Three metaphors describe pedagogic judgment as the…

Finds that sharing research on a particular author (Katherine Paterson) with a friend's sixth-grade class increased the students' interest in both the author and her books, led to fruitful discussions with the children, and aroused their curiosity about other authors and books. (NKA)

Suggests a classroom newspaper provides an excellent vehicle for teaching writing to students of various ability levels, allows students to direct their writing to a specific audience, and increases motivation (because recognition through publication is very reinforcing). All students, including students with disabilities, can benefit from the…

When Creative Problem Solving (CPS) was introduced into social studies programs, the students' participation in the classrooms began to change. They began to assume leadership roles and take on a sense of responsibility; they asked questions and worked cooperatively to decide on social action. In this article, the authors argue that CPS has the…

Provides one teacher's personal account of an ongoing learning process in a sixth-grade classroom, and the perceived advantages and disadvantages of allowing for diverse interpretations, perspectives, and points of view designed to aid student learning. The dynamic relationship between student initiative and unpredictability that can result in…

A sixth grade class is divided into two groups on the basis of eye color. On succeeding days, brown-eyed and blue-eyed students are treated either preferentially or with prejudice. The experimental lesson is repeated in a parent student workshop, where students lead the discussion of discrimination and bias. (AF)

After completing a unit of study entitled "Reading the Daily Newspaper" under the leadership of a teaching team consisting of student teachers and cooperating teachers, sixth-grade pupils wrote a newspaper for their parents describing their experiences in different curriculum areas in the classroom. Guided by the teaching team, student…

A teacher recounts her experiences in adapting the concept of Academic Learning Time (ALT), developed in the Beginning Teacher Evaluation Study, to sixth-grade classes whose students formerly had been instructed individually. ALT was introduced into reading and mathematics instruction. Its effects on student motivation and achievement are…

The rationale for using critical autobiography projects in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction is discussed, and procedures for implementation are outlined. Writing a critical autobiography involves the student's presenting a personal narrative while exploring external factors influencing his life. Critical experiences in life provide…