In this article, the author shares how she develops a curriculum that allows many creative opportunities and builds on the art vocabulary of her fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students. She calls this year-long curriculum "Art A to Z." At the start of the year, she gives a project packet to each student in each class. Each page represents a…

Students in intermediate and middle level grades are often caught up in the exciting visual images and auditory stimuli that are a part of all their everyday communication and learning experiences. As a group of students who are growing intellectually and socially in the midst of, and through, predominantly media messages, they require reading and…

The recently elected National Government has proceeded, under urgency, to pass the Education (National Standards) Amendment Bill, legislation that seeks to provide specific information for both schools and parents about how well every primary and intermediate school student (Years 1 to 8) is progressing in literacy and numeracy compared with other…

The author describes methods for using picture books to teach geography in middle school. Introducing students to geographic regions through narrative and visual text can provide background information about the area, stimulate student interest in the culture, and facilitate student comprehension of geographic concepts. The author provides…

It is easy for intermediate students to get the wrong ideas about the purpose of reading. Educators pay so much attention to decoding and fluency in the early years that children sometimes come to believe that flawless and rapid word recognition is the point. As texts get more demanding or unfamiliar, some of the "good readers" in classes begin to…

The nation's public schools can systematically promote the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary for good health. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contracted to evaluate the School Health Curriculum Project and three other approaches. The design, implementation, and benefits of the School Health Education Evaluation (SHEE) are…

A debating program has been successful in developing issue resolution, research skills, and public speaking skills among gifted fifth and sixth graders. A high school debate program is modified to make it more manageable. (CL)

A beginning teacher of intermediate gifted students describes her experiences with a mentorship program involving seven preservice teacher trainees. Both students and mentors responded positively to the approach. (CL)

An oceanography unit for gifted and talented fifth and sixth graders culminated in a trip to a marine institute that featured snorkeling, hiking, and visiting scientific labs. (CL)

Mystery and Adventure travel the same path. Within every mystery is an adventure, be it a struggle for survival, network of suspense, or matching of wits. A mystery is a secret jigsaw puzzle. Its popularity lies in the author's skillful engagement of the reader in putting together the pieces by using such elements as clues, foreshadowing, and…

Nanakuli is a rural, poverty-stricken community on the remote west coast of the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. In May 2006, Nanakuli High and Intermediate was ranked the worst school in the state of Hawaii. In this article, the author relates what happened when she led teens in Nanakuli through the creation and performance of an original theatre show…

A teacher describes her solution to discipline problems in her classroom, a method she calls positive discipline. Students attend "night school" with humorous course offerings entitled Janitorial Skills, Silence Is Golden, Get to Know Your Notebook, Artful Dodging, and Learning a New Language. (MT)

The School Health Education Evaluation (SHEE) was used to review the School Health Curriculum Project and three other curricula: Project Prevention, 3 Rs and High Blood Pressure, and Health Education Curriculum Guide. The four curricula are described and the process that led to their selection for SHEE is highlighted. (Author/MT)

A self-instructional unit on advanced astronomy concepts resulted in moderate to high growth in specific target skills for gifted students in grades five through eight. Most of the students expressed heightened interest in astronomy, and one-half elected to pursue advanced investigations in astronomical research. (CL)

Planning and organizational details of a citywide spelling bee for intermediate-level hearing impaired students are described. (CL)