Kim and Roth (this issue) purport to draw on the social-psychological theory of L. S. Vygotsky in order to investigate social relations in children's argumentation in science topics. The authors argue that the argumentation framework offered by Stephen Toulmin is limited in addressing social relations. The authors thus criticize Toulmin's Argument…

Dowd and Bartlett (2019) tested the reading competencies of second graders attending Save the Children programs in 11 countries. They used sixty-word passages and comprehension questions without time limits and analyzed data of students reading more than 10 words per minute. They found wide disparities in speed among those who showed high…

In this article, I (1) argue for approaching processes, events-in-the-making, by means of process categories--to learn, to teach--not by means of categories that denote differences in state and (2) exemplify doing and writing research consistent with process philosophy. To understand process we must not think, research, and write them in terms of…

The interaction analysis presented by Kim and Roth examines nine students, their teachers, the learning task and materials in a mixed second and third grade science classroom during the school day. In the research narrative readers are introduced to two resourceful and creative groups of students as they work on a task assigned by their…

In this commentary, the author reflects on four studies that have greatly expanded the knowledge base on effective interventions in mathematics, and he provides four rigorous experimental studies of approaches for students likely to experience difficulties learning mathematics over a large grade-level span (pre-K to 4th grade). All of the…

In the fall of 2010 the faculty of Baker Demonstration School began a yearlong exploration of the question "How do we know what children know?" At that time, three teacher colleagues already had entered upon a collaborative project integrating music and drama with a unit of study in the second and third grades. They decided to carefully…

Over the past few decades, reading assessment has been pushed to the forefront of the national discussion about education. The most recent reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (1994, 2001) made assessment a priority as administrators and teachers are attempting to meet increasing accountability standards, but measuring…

In this commentary, the authors bring insights from their work on science-literacy integration at the elementary level to bear on the ongoing conversation about disciplinary literacy at the middle and secondary levels. In particular, the authors discuss what they have learned about inquiry, disciplinary reading strategies, and the role of text in…

The eight contributions to this special issue provide an informative focus on many aspects of peer-based victimization in schools. Often using sophisticated quantitative and analytic procedures, they advance our knowledge in several important domains, pointing out important contextual variables, interactions, and mediating factors in the negative…

Gives an account of the issues surrounding the attempts of two teachers to integrate literature into the science curriculum of a second-grade classroom. Argues that children's intellectual development is best served by curricula based on inquiry. (HB)

In this paper, the author describes reading strategies she used to inspire her students. Teacher modeling followed by student practice became the focus of the guided reading lessons, which included a menagerie of new "reading buddies."

Compares two social studies textbooks for second graders, one standard curriculum (SC) text and the other from the Core Knowledge Curriculum (CKC). It argues that the SC textbook is boring and overly simplified, while the CKC textbook is interesting and considerably more informative. It suggests that elementary school students are fully capable of…

Describes how a visit to the principal's office to see his family heirloom (a quilted Hawaiian flag), and reading the book "Badger's Parting Gifts," created powerful and ongoing lessons for the author's second graders, imparting an eternal way of thinking about gifts, family, friends, and human values. (SR)

Argues that topical units on cultural universals are well suited for introducing primary grade students to social studies, although the units need to be more powerful than those in leading textbooks. Notes a study supporting the feasibility of cultural universals units in first and second grade classrooms. Suggests guidelines for lesson plans,…

Believes that educators often indoctrinate children into being passive receivers of learning, and that a communication-based approach to learning, in which teachers model how to be active listeners and also generators of information, is needed. Based on work with kindergartners and second graders, provides examples of valuing children's talking…