Six geography lessons which teach a global perspective to fifth graders are discussed. The lessons include examining maps made in countries other than the United States, brainstorming about another culture, taking an imaginary trip over a region just studied, participating in a simulation, and researching the making of a pencil. (RM)

Described is a project which made the study of Black history more real to fifth graders by having them make wire jewelry, smaller versions of the ornate filigreed ironwork produced by slave blacksmiths. (RM)

For children to understand history, they need to be able to see the world through the eyes of its participants, and to understand that there are multiple perspectives on the past. This paper focuses on relating theory to practice in history and social studies teaching and curriculum design, emphasizing that historical perspective-taking and…

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…

This study measured the effect of three levels of tempo and two levels of performing medium, vocal and instrumental, on the expressed preference of fifth- and sixth-grade students for traditional jazz music listening examples. (Author/SR)

Sixty fifth-grade students were randomly assigned to a group to be trained in solving Inhelder and Piaget's pendulum problem by Siegler's method or to a control group. A significant training effect was found. A weak transfer effect was found, but delayed performance showed no training effect. (Author/BW)

Procedures from educational policy research were used to produce three conceptual models for determining teacher effects in classrooms. The use of a system of equations, as developed for these models, shows promise for theory building in teacher education and instructional design. (Author/GSK)

Describes a stock market investing project for fifth graders. (SJL)

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…

Finds that Japanese fifth graders' naming speed was a good indicator of the automaticity of the lexical access for both syllabaries and morphograms, but that skilled/less-skilled differences in vocalization latencies were greater for real words than for pseudowords for both hiragana and kanji. Discusses the applicability of C. A. Perfetti's verbal…

Discusses collaborative explorations of collage, drama, and poetry with visiting artists, teachers, and students. Describes a project in which the picture book, "I Live in Music," was shared with students in Jean Dickinson's class as an extension of a study of the Harlem Renaissance. Presents a script that reflects the authors' story of…

Describes how students parallel the process of author Megan McDonald in conducting research and collecting information to provide ideas for the form and content of their writing. Notes that guiding students to record and organize information in a graphic format helps them to transfer those interesting details to new types of writing. (SG)

Describes a drama-based language arts unit taught to a fifth grade class. Provides empirical evidence that drama as a strategy of instruction embedded within a writing/language arts unit helps students improve their writing. Suggests continued research and development of drama as a strategy of instruction. (PM)

This article describes a proposed model of self-directed critical thinking that comprises two interrelated and equal components: one cognitive and the other motivational. The model stresses the importance in critical thinking of the child's present store of general information. Examples illustrate the operation of the model. (IAH)

Investigates the effect of informing remedial readers that strategy use (such as looking for the main idea) improves performance on their self-efficacy and comprehension skills. Finds increased self-efficacy and comprehension skills, and suggests that remedial readers need multiple sources of strategy value information. (RS)