A quasi-experimental study examined some effects of cross-age tutoring on fourth grade tutors' and second grade tutees' ability to spell accurately and correct errors on their own rough drafts. Half of the participating tutors were trained in tutoring skills; half were not. All participants were given pre- and post-assessments. On dictated writing…

The positive effect of early intervention upon the reading abilities of struggling students has been well documented by research. Unfortunately, the current economic situation has eliminated the positions of many interventionists serving in school districts across the country. Cross-age tutoring has been implemented in many places as a replacement…

Stonier, a second grade inclusion teacher, wanted to instill a love of writing in all 25 of the children in his class while offering a challenging curriculum for everyone. He made the children's writing meaningful by setting up a writing exchange with high school students. The project, beginning with the second-graders offering critiques of the…

What reading programs have been proven to help students in grades 2-5 to succeed? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on three types of programs designed to improve the reading achievement of students in grades 2-5: (1) Reading Curricula (Curr), such as "Open Court," "Harcourt," "Reading Street" and other standard and alternative…

This article describes a reading comprehension program adopted at J. E. Cosgriff Memorial Catholic School in Salt Lake City, Utah. The program is called SHARE: Students Helping Achieve Reading Excellence, and involves seventh and eighth grade students teaching first and second graders reading comprehension strategies learned in middle school…

After discussing J.R.R. Tolkien's "Father Christmas Letters," fifth- and sixth-graders undertook a class project to answer second-graders' letters to Santa Claus. (SJL)

A kindergarten teacher implemented a cross-age tutoring program pairing second-grade students with her kindergarteners for the purpose of improving the younger children's pre-reading and mathematics abilities, and increasing the older children's self-esteem and motivation for learning. Chapter I describes the focus of the study. The literature…

A study examined whether cross-grade peer tutoring increased student performance on weekly spelling tests. Subjects, 7 sixth graders and 19 second graders attending Coal City Elementary School in Raleigh County, West Virginia, spent 10 minutes each day for 9 weeks working on spelling. The experimental group used cross-grade peer tutoring and the…

Describes a cross-age tutoring program between middle school and kindergarten and second grade students. (MG)

Describes a writing strategy that reflects the importance of writing for authentic purposes for real audiences. Discusses how cross-grade-level exchanges can support this approach. (MG)

All (172) second grade nonreaders in Title I schools received structured tutoring from intermediate age youngsters 15 minutes per day, four days per week for five months in a program to remediate reading skills. Control Subjects were randomly selected, without regard for reading ability, from the total grade 2 population of three non-Title I…

Describes "Reaching for the Stars," a program which develops teaming and mentoring skills in senior physics students. Phase 1 requires student pairs to design a rocket; Phase 2 pairs seniors with gifted second graders who build the rocket from written instructions; and in Phase 3, pairs of seniors create a children's storybook explaining…

This pamphlet describes a year-long project that began with the idea of inviting eighth graders to study the thoughts of second graders as shared during literature discussions. It then evolved into a more elaborate project bolstered by the students' enthusiasm and interest in each other. The pamphlet describes the students, establishment of the…

This report describes a cross-age tutoring program implemented to improve reading comprehension skills in a group of regular students in a rural elementary school. A targeted group of four fifth-grade students and four second-grade students were matched for cross-age tutoring sessions. The students developed reading comprehension skills through…

This booklet provides ideas for a multidisciplinary storytelling course designed to train fifth grade students to act as tutors for second grade students. The various sections of the booklet contain the following: the rationale and objectives for the course, hints on planning the course, an introduction to storytelling, suggestions for teaching…