This article reports an analysis of fifth-graders' comprehension strategy use, as it occurred within peer-led literature discussion groups, and the influence of such strategy use on students' post-discussion gains in story comprehension. Data collection occurred across nine weeks. Data sources included transcripts of discussions, transcripts of…

Shares American Indians' reactions to "Little House on the Prairie," provides a short description of critical pedagogy and critical literacy, and then shares fifth-graders' responses to the book and their move toward critical reading. Concludes with five suggestions for working with historical fiction. (SG)

This document reports on an evaluation project to determine the effectiveness of the Fast Track method of instrumental music instruction as applied to beginning band instruction. The Fast Track music system is unique because it simultaneously aids both visual and aural learning by using a book and cassette tape approach to instruction. Traditional…

Results of the analyses of over 1000 Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) questionnaires from over 100 public and private schools, in-depth interviews with randomly selected teachers, surveys from nearly 100 DARE teachers, and the data from parents, officers in-training, and student essay winners were uniformly positive. Teacher comments…

Explores the verbal reflections of a competent fifth-grade speller as he performed word sorts, spelling lists, and creative writing activities. Finds the accuracy or inaccuracy of the student's statements were related to his level of spelling development, and each literacy task appeared to have a predominant category of responses. (RS)

Examined educators' perceptions of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, based on the results of a statewide survey among 286 fifth- and sixth-grade teachers and principals. Educators gave highest ratings to teacher/officer interaction, role-playing exercises, and the graduation ceremony. Ratings of program quality and impact were high.…

Discusses research the author undertook with a class of fifth graders, in which they read and discussed popular series books. Shares examples of their talk about the topic and what that talk reveals about the potential of the classroom as a space to reveal, complicate, and challenge gendered assumptions about what is desirable or appropriate…

Describes a year-long process in which a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds learned to participate in reading, writing, and talking about books in a literature-based instructional program. Reveals a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to students as they developed the knowledge…

Results of research in a fifth grade classroom on the characteristics of leaders emerging in four different small group situations found that student leaders (for both verbal and nonverbal activities) tended to be the most verbal students with the most ideas. (DB)

This report describes and evaluates two programs which deal with chronic status offenders: the Grimes Alternative School Program, a delinquency prevention project which targets intermediate school (grades 4 and 5) students with chronic discipline and/or truant behaviors, and the Home Remedies Program, a short-term crisis intervention and…

Explores responses of 10 fifth graders to the dialog of a play. Creates 12 speech act interruption points and asks children to write predictions for the character's line. Examines these for conversational cooperativity. Finds children's oral explanations for their predictions revealed two major interpretive stances--an interactive focus and a…

Appalled by a report stating that most Americans were unaware of the Nazi's decimation of European Jewry during World War II, a fifth-grade teacher began teaching a lesson about the Holocaust. Her students were astounded to learn that the Nazis had murdered 1.5 million children. Presenting the Holocaust to elementary-age children requires a…

An alcohol misuse prevention study (AMPS) curriculum was developed, implemented, and evaluated with over 5,000 fifth and sixth grade students. The AMPS program, emphasizing peer resistance skills, focused on the immediate effects of alcohol, risks of alcohol misuse, and social pressures to misuse alcohol. Schools were randomly assigned to…

Offers an interpretive case study designed to provide insights about students' thoughts, feelings, and actions when not initially motivated for literacy tasks, and ways in which some students were able to become intrinsically interested. Reveals three different patterns of engagement (or lack thereof), represented in three different "Situations"…

Analyzes the discussion of four "struggling" fifth-grade girls and the researcher as they transacted with Mildred Taylor's "The Friendship." Shows how participants' responses to the text and adult and peer guidance created a response development zone. Notes the girls used reading, writing, and discussion to address comprehension difficulties and…