This study, conducted in Knox County, Tennessee, compared retention scores of students using traditional learning methodologies to retention scores of students taught using cooperative learning strategies. Participants (n=23) remained the same during both phases of instruction. A comparison of posttest scores of a fifth grade social studies unit…

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…

This report describes a program for improving students' spelling skills through the use of effective teaching strategies. Because the literature review of solutions named these categories: using various instructional strategies, moving away from simple memorization, and supporting students with freedom to take risks in spelling, these researchers…

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…

This report describes a program for improving students' writing skills in the areas of mechanics and organization through the implementation of a Writer's Workshop. The targeted population consists of fourth and fifth grade students in a Midwestern community located outside of a major city. Evidence for the existence of this problem is shown…

This study focused on the use of journal writing and worksheets in the area of social studies within a suburban elementary school. The study was designed to determine if there was a difference in children's social studies test scores when they completed journal activities or when they completed worksheets. Subjects were 36 Tennessee fifth-grade…

A research project implemented a program to increase skills in critiquing art at the elementary level. The targeted population consisted of students in fifth grade in a lower-to-middle-class community located in western Illinois. Evidence used to support the problem's existence included the local visual art assessment test, teacher observations,…

With advances being made in the area of technology and increased emphasis being placed on use of technology in the classroom, teachers and administrators are questioning the effectiveness of technology driven teaching aids. The present issue revolves around whether students' academic performance can be enhanced by using and incorporating…

Describes a year-long teacher action-research study involving fifth graders that used trade books to teach students various reading-comprehension strategies. Finds that students retained and transferred strategy learning to other texts and contexts; valued reading more and reported reading more; and demonstrated enhanced appreciation for books and…

This action research project described a program for increasing student skills in writing. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade academically talented, regular education, and inclusion students in a middle class, western suburb of a Midwestern city. The inadequacy of student writing skills was documented through writing samples, local…

Neurological research indicates that children's experiences, both inside and outside of school, significantly influence brain development. But little is known about children's out-of-school activities and the influence such activities may have on academic achievement. To better understand this relationship, the extra-school activities of 75…

Three teacher researchers conducted research to help motivate, encourage, and raise achievement of all students involved in the study. There were three fifth-grade classes involved of approximately 30 students per class, ages 10-11. The elementary school involved is located in Bolingbrook, Illinois: Wood View Elementary. The researchers conducted…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving the recreational reading habits of fifth-grade students and encouraging them to become lifelong readers. The targeted population lived in a growing, low- to upper-middle-class, suburban community, located in Hanover Park, approximately 35 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. Students in…

This report describes a program for instructing students in the writing process in order to improve their overall writing skills. The targeted population consisted of fourth and fifth grade students in a growing upper middle class community, located in northern Illinois. The writing problems of the students were documented through data revealing…

A program was developed to improve the attitudes of elementary students toward the artistic experience and the end products of artistic creativity. The targeted population consisted of fifth grade students at a Midwestern elementary school in an affluent suburb. A low level of interest was exhibited by students toward the artwork they produced.…