The Louisiana Department of Education produces two curriculum guides for use in teaching Louisiana Studies at the eighth grade level. Very little information on Louisiana architecture is included. The Division of Historic Preservation proposed and obtained funds for a cooperative project between themselves and the Department of Education that…

An account is given by an eighth-grade English teacher of the ultimately unsuccessful efforts to manage a problem student. Lessons learned from the experience include the realization that classroom teachers can't "fix" every child. (IAH)

Discusses the importance of critical thinking for participation in democratic society and identifies the critical thinking skills tested in the eighth grade California Assessment Program. Provides an extensive appendix detailing a critical thinking skills continuum, a glossary of terms, and classroom strategies. (GEA)

This paper highlights an attempt by two grade 8 teachers, Bulelwa and Kevin, to draw in the everyday in the teaching of mathematics. Though located in different South African contexts and settings, both teachers tend to enable their learners' access to mathematics by rendering the everyday inauthentic. I argue that inauthenticating the everyday is…

Theoretically, reading and writing skills should be taught beginning in elementary school. As early as kindergarten teachers should be emphasizing reading and writing, teaching children how to read using phonics, and how to write things as simple as one-line sentences. This paper discusses the things that teachers can do to make sure that all…

Much has been said on matter of aesthetics and mathematics--perhaps most commonly articulated in relation to properties such as "beauty" and "elegance," which are used to distinguish good from not-so-good mathematical products. Despite its importance in the work of mathematicians, it has been argued that aesthetics cannot be incorporated into…

This paper is particularly concerned with the authorial text with its single, usually male, frequently European, inspired and objective voice. Enabled by a discourse of clarity, a reader of this text may identify with a single author's mind. While much has been done to displace this construct in schools over the last few decades, the paper…

A teacher reflects on the writing of his disadvantaged eighth grade students. (JL)

Shares an African tale about crossing cultural boundaries which the author shares with his eighth grade class at the beginning of each year. (MG)

A principal describes a packet of Christmas letters from high school juniors expressing appreciation for good work habits learned in her eighth-grade English composition class. This former teacher injected relevance into the curriculum by accepting students' world and absorbing it into the learning environment. Students could connect classroom…

According to a former junior high school teacher, eighth graders--inquisitive and opinionated--are not too young to grasp the impact of the Holocaust. This teacher went beyond "The Diary of Anne Frank" to push deeply into topics of genocide, racism, prejudice, and persecution. Students approached this discussion by considering examples…

Advocates the use of literature response journals. Describes their use with an eighth-grade class and discusses teaching students how to respond well and how to include parents. (SR)

Describes one teacher's experience teaching writing as she gets involved in writing along with her students. Discusses how she uses her own writing as examples of the writing process for the students. Explores experiences teaching and writing fiction. (SG)

When marking GCSE data handling coursework, the author was repeatedly reminded just how poor the level of statistical understanding is among students. In response to a feeling that the teaching of handling data topics was limited, the author and her colleague designed a project with Y8 students to try to teach statistics for a deeper…

Examines theories of early adolescence in relation to teaching eighth-grade English students. Concludes differences in students' responses related to gender differences and self-identity. (JK)