As a new faculty member, the author was invited by colleagues to help protect a resource they believed was essential to their instructional program. The importance of teaching grammar in a didactic fashion as a precursor to student writing constituted an unchallenged belief in the department. Faculty members were committed to the notion that…

Assesses the results of a study of spelling development on the junior high level. Concludes that spelling instruction in the upper grades is worthy of serious consideration. (NKA)

Describes using information charts with eighth-grade language arts students. Discusses using this strategy to help students organize their research, develop critical-thinking skills, use their prior knowledge, and increase metacognitive awareness. (SR)

Examines group oral response to literature as a method of large-scale assessment with eighth graders. Finds that (1) the method is manageable for wide-scale testing; (2) the process simulates classroom conditions and activities closely; (3) the process allows for teacher input and participation; and (4) students find the activity enjoyable. (PRA)

Describes a 24-hour commercial radio station simulation class project for eighth-grade language arts. Students wrote their own scripts, chose music and were disc jockeys on their own music and talk shows, and prepared news and traffic reports. Guest speakers from actual commercial radio came in to discuss issues such as advertising, censorship,…

A REALISTIC LOOK AT STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS AND EARLY OBSERVATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE IN SILENT AND ORAL READING SITUATIONS REVEALED THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE 7TH AND 8TH GRADE PUPILS WERE DISABLED READERS. SIX SPECIFIC AIMS WERE--REFINING COMPREHENSION SKILLS, EXTENDING INTERESTS AND RECOGNITION SKILLS, IMPROVING READING, STRENGTHENING WORD…

Describes an unusual set of circumstances that paved the way for an interdisciplinary year-long United States History course involving reading and language arts that relied heavily on trade books to support the curriculum. Describes choosing the books and using them in the program. (SR)

GRADES OR AGES: Junior high school (grades 7, 8 and 9). SUBJECT MATTER: Language arts; composition and language study. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide has three main sections: 1) oral composition--individual preservations and group activities; 2) language study--the nature of language, varieties of language, history of the English…

Presents examples of classroom writing activities that can be incorporated into language arts textbooks for grades two, five, and eight to encourage civic thinking on issues such as nationhood, leadership, cultural differences, taxation, and war. (RS)

Describes how an eighth-grade language-arts teacher teaches poetry via performance. Describes how she introduces poetry, performance, and audience. Shows how students (even non-readers and non-achievers) quickly show great eagerness to do poetry with enthusiasm, excitement, and energy; and now perform locally. Includes a poetry portfolio outline…

This practicum was designed to develop performance-based assessment tools to document language arts achievement for use in eighth-grade language arts classes. Two eighth grade language arts classes (55 students) participated in the program for an entire school year, maintaining a writing portfolio and a record-keeping portfolio. A video portfolio…

Intended as a resource for instructional planning, this grade 8 language arts curriculum guide purposes to promote greater student achievement through alignment of the written, the taught, and the tested curriculum, and to promote broader and higher levels of thinking through objectives, activities, and strategies which integrate content and…

The central aspect of Connecticut's agenda for educational equity and excellence is the implementation of statewide mastery testing in mathematics and language arts. The program, designed for grades four, six, and eight, assesses the skill levels of students by measuring their performance on learning objectives they should have mastered in lower…

Considers how to "unfix" certainties about students' potential and their performances in class; uses three middle school students dealing with language arts as case studies. Describes how learning occurred over the school year. Includes responses that offer a record of success and comments on fighting "fixity" in teacher education. (PA)

This handbook, intended for English language arts teachers, principals, curriculum and testing specialists, superintendents, and all educators interested in preparing students for the grade 8 California Assessment Program (CAP) writing assessment, provides the practitioner with information about the content of the test, the rationale underlying…