The problems and possibilities that have arisen since the Key Stage 3 of the National Science Curriculum was implemented in the United Kingdom are discussed. The assessment strategies used with various attainment targets are described. The influence of the National Curriculum on testing is addressed. (KR)

Describes in detail a successful unit of study done on the play "Cyrano de Bergerac" that both satisfies particular curricular demands and suits the temperament and interests of young adolescents. (KEH)

Implications of the prestige and vitality of English as a foreign language in Brazil were investigated using both direct and indirect measures of attitudes and beliefs. Aspects of solidarity and status identified by factor analysis were investigated in a Brazilian adolescent population, and four statistically distinctive profiles were found.…

Describes a first-year teacher's experience teaching unruly seventh graders and how she has learned, to a degree, to smile and to be patient, and find consolation in those students who have written to her to express how much she has helped them through her teaching and counseling. (TB)

Tim Tyson, the principal of Mabry Middle School in Marietta Georgia, is a self-described geek with Ph.D. in education. Tyson was responsible for making the seventh graders at Mabry to attain above grade level in reading. To attain this goal, Tyson has made sure that the technology used at Mabry was thoughtfully integrated across the school's…

In her more than 30 years of teaching, the author has practiced differentiation in her own classroom at all educational levels. Although she is well familiar with the vocabulary, research and reasoning behind it, the most compelling answer she can give for why differentiation matters in the middle grades comes from her personal experience as an…

Relates a middle school teacher's experiences using the project-based science approach with two groups of seventh graders. Describes the features of project-based science and the content and activities of the units taught. Discusses the challenges of implementing this approach and compares the strengths and weaknesses of project-based and…

The traditional approach to education has placed more importance on the role of the teacher in the teacher-student relationship. Such an approach has produced a nation of passive learners who can regurgitate facts but have little ability to reason, solve problems, or think critically or creatively. A junior high school language arts teacher who…

A multimedia reading program for seventh and eighth grade students is presented. Methodology for the seventh grade course consists of designating a particular type of literature for each month of the school year. Story assignments, book reports, and teaching units all revolve around this type of literature. Students read aloud from radio and…

After a brief introduction to the development of New Phonics, an innovative course designed for Japanese English-as-a-foreign-language learners, this article describes the contents of the course for beginners, i.e., the techniques, exercises, and teaching materials for grade 7.(Author/VWL)

This paper describes 2 years of international telecommunications experiences between seventh grade reading classes in Florida and England. The report is presented in five sections: (1) Telecommunications and Reading Instruction--telecommunications and how it can motive students, develop their confidence, and empower them, and how…

Discussed are the philosophy and procedures behind the introduction of algebra to students in grade 7 in Australia. Included are the importance of concrete experiences, language development, and the consequences involved in this procedure. (CW)

A seventh-grade teacher describes how her students gradually became engaged in a year-long project on Thoreau. Although initially resistant and unenthusiastic, the students became interested after two field trips involving living-history experiences, and went on to write a play involving Thoreau, his contemporary and 20th-century…

This article makes a case for special classes for gifted students and answers objections to special classes raised by the middle school movement and the cooperative learning movement. A sample "Celebration of Me" unit taught to gifted seventh graders which involved poetry, literature, personal development, art, music, and physical fitness is…

For a successful transition to adulthood, young people need opportunities to be responsible, caring, participating members of society. A study was designed to test the effectiveness of peer discipline control in seventh grade classrooms. The context was a language arts class in which the students were learning parliamentary procedures. A class…