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 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…

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…

Describes a study that examined the effects of a cross-age tutoring program on computer literacy learning of second graders. Related literature is reviewed; the training program that used fourth graders to tutor the second graders is explained; and implications for future research is suggested. (Author/LRW)

An action research project describes a cross-age tutoring program to help increase the reading achievement of targeted second graders. The targeted population consisted of second and fifth graders in a middle class suburban community west of a large midwestern city. The problems of poor word attack skills and reading comprehension were documented…

This study investigated the effects of a cross-age tutorial experience on the self-esteem of the tutors and the reading achievement of the pupils. Ninety-two fifth-grade males selected from four parochial schools in Nassau County, New York, were tested on a self-esteem inventory. Those scoring lowest were randomly assigned to tutoring groups and…

This study sought to determine the effect of the Grant Von Harrison Lay Tutor Program on low-achieving, sixth-grade students who became tutors and on low-achieving second graders who were tutored. Experimental groups and control groups of sixth graders were formed from a list provided by the principal. Students were pre- and posttested for reading…

Describes a partnership between a middle school and an elementary school that pairs Grade Eight and Grade Two students. The middle school students have autonomy over the strategies and materials they use to teach a particular science lesson. Presents the details of implementing such a program. (DDR)

This practicum was developed (1) to improve, supervise, and disseminate a model cross-age tutoring program, and (2) to determine if a tutorial program would increase the sight vocabulary of 100 second grade students in the Dallas Independent School District. A secondary purpose was to determine if such a program would improve the reading grades,…

An inquiry-based curriculum can become the vehicle for bringing students out into the community and bringing the larger world to the classroom. The article describes one Hawaiian teacher's elementary curriculum that encouraged talking, sharing, and collaboration and incorporated reading and writing for real purposes into the curriculum. (SM)