This article investigates how affluent students made sense of social justice issues that were embedded in mathematics learning activities. I present 2 case studies of such activities at the intermediate and secondary levels in 2 different schools. The analysis draws on video records and classroom artifacts and applies the theoretical framework of…

Nearly 90% of intermediate and middle school students from low-income families in the United States are not proficient in reading. This action research project used a quasi-experimental design to determine the effectiveness of a multi-component reading intervention program for students in grades four through eight at Mother of Sorrows Catholic…

The purpose of this research project was to increase constructive behavior of intermediate grade students through the use of the response cost strategy. Approximately 70 students participated in this study. Three teacher researchers conducted the research in an elementary school and two middle schools in different counties near a major mid-western…

This 5-month action research project examined effects of a short-term interactive vocabulary instruction on reading comprehension with four intermediate grade students identified as having learning disabilities in reading. Participants read a narrative text and an expository text without vocabulary instruction and then received vocabulary…

Dramatizations as a response activity during literature study provide a vehicle for students to use language, both verbal and nonverbal, in an educational context. A study focused on a group of five students who chose to use story dramatizations as one way to create their interpretations of the book, "The Slave Dancer" (Fox, 1973). The…

Past research shows the imperative nature of students having a high knowledge of vocabulary, particularly as it relates to their level of reading comprehension. This is especially true in the areas of science and social studies because of the nature of the subjects and their corresponding texts. Students' ability to retain and recall vocabulary…

The purpose of this project was to increase grade four students' reading motivation by helping them to develop a broader awareness of literary genres, and through participation in literature-based discussion activities. Approximately 71 students and 33 teachers participated. The following interventions were used: creating a literature rich…

This report describes an action research project improving student academic reading achievement. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade students in a growing suburb of a major midwestern metropolitan area. The evidence for existence of the problem included student surveys, assessments, teacher observations and checklists. Analysis of…

Suggests that literature circles can provide a stimulating and motivating method of teaching reading, and they help increase student reading performance as measured on a criterion-referenced test. Notes that when students participate in literature discussion groups their reading level and motivation can increase. (SG)

This study describes a program for improving student's reading skills. The targeted population consisted of students in a self-contained inclusion fourth grade classroom in a rural community, located in the Midwest. The lack of reading skills had been demonstrated through standardized achievement tests and the Developmental Reading Assessment.…

This report describes a plan for developing metacognitive reflection in readers in order to improve reading comprehension in both fiction and nonfiction texts. The targeted population was sixth graders at two sites: one in an upper middle-class neighborhood of a large city, the other in a rapidly changing community in a collar suburb of that same…

A study examined how to increase active participation in a language arts class, based on the belief that such an increase would lead to better test scores and better learning. Subjects included a class of 30 homogeneously grouped accelerated sixth grade students, which meets five days a week for 90-minute periods. During the study, the class was…

An action research approach was used to evaluate a nontraditional gifted identification technique for disadvantaged students. Fourth-grade students selected by a whole classroom "tryout" technique participated in the Future Problem Solving component of the talented and gifted curriculum with students selected by traditional means. Analysis showed…

This report describes a program for integrating visual art into the core curriculum of sixth grade students, in a growing, upper middle and middle class, suburban community, elementary school located in a northwest suburb of Chicago (Illinois). The problem was noted originally by the teachers, who found the students unable to apply skills learned…

This paper reports on a two-year professional development project, Teachers Raising Achievement in Mathematics. This action research project involved 8 intermediate school teachers and 10 secondary school teachers who were asked to: (1) examine their own classroom practices and the effect that these had on students' learning, (2) decide what…