A pilot study was conducted to examine the information with respect to the modes, referents, and relationships that a given teacher acquires through the examination of her students' written responses to open-ended tasks and how the teacher uses this information. The participating teacher taught sixth grade in a public elementary school in a…

Noting that an important trend in middle school reading instruction has been the increased use of literature and trade books, this paper suggests that using Caldecott Medal and Honor books in the middle school classroom is an effective way to expose students to high quality literature. The paper notes that promoting the use of such books also aids…

Multigrade grouping is the practice of intentionally grouping two or more grade levels in the same classroom to enhance learning. It is becoming a much discussed and implemented alternative grouping practice in middle level education. This paper describes the implementation process of two multigrade "teams" in two Florida middle schools,…

A study was conducted to determine if students from low socioeconomic environments have lower academic achievement compared to the academic achievement of students from higher socioeconomic environments. The sample consisted of 66 6th-grade science students at Travis Middle School, Temple, Texas. The students were divided into a low-income group…

This study used an open-ended problem-solving approach to teaching and assessing middle school students' understanding of the concept of arithmetic average. Three main results of this study show evidence of positive instructional impact on students' understanding of the concept of average: (1) the number of students who gave correct answers…

A study investigated the effects of strategy instruction on the reading and writing abilities of sixth-grade middle-school students with delayed literacy. An experimental group of 10 sixth-grade, English-speaking inner-city students in the midwestern United States was matched on race, gender, and reading comprehension test scores with 10…

This study attempted to verify a strategic metacognition model of an efficient, successful science reader based on an analytical induction of reading research results; develop a valid objective assessment instrument; and provide a profile of middle school students' metacognitive knowledge about science reading, science test, and text reading…

Those who guide and work with children are interested in enabling them to build concepts about themselves that lead to higher self-esteem. This study investigated factors associated with self-esteem in sixth through ninth graders. The independent variables were locus of control, family structure, sex role, gender, grade level, and parental alcohol…

A practicum was developed to increase self-esteem, to lower anxiety, and to improve social skills in 13 emotionally handicapped (EH) middle school boys. An additional objective was to provide parenting classes which focused on increasing parents' knowledge and skills in improving their children's self esteem. The 8-month multifaceted program…

This guide contains activities to help teachers give middle school students experience in practical life skills. Techniques include role playing and using classified advertisements from newspapers. The five lessons include teacher tips on conducting the activities. Lessons contain objectives, materials needed, discussion, and suggested dialogue.…

This document presents criteria that are designed to help a media reviewer examine professional presentations of middle-level education, gauging how closely a presentation reflects prevailing educational philosophy. Ten key features of middle-level schooling are highlighted, and a Likert scale is provided for each. The 10 features include varied…

This project is to help students learn about ways to investigate self-esteem and develop resiliency through the medium of visual art. The project is developed with middle school girls in mind but can be used with all people who experience some loss of self through socialization. The art studio lends itself to experiment with ideas and…

Ideas submitted by middle school Youth for Justice teams are presented. Sixty-four teams from middle schools in all regions of Ohio spent 5 months researching and preparing their ideas for the Youth Summit. Ideas that identify and propose solutions and action steps to address the multiple problems of violence by and against youth are compiled in…

Data from the Spring 1996 administration of the New Standards Mathematics Reference Examination for Middle Grades were used to examine the instructional validity of the Reference Examination, opportunity to learn, and equity in the context of the California Mathematics Renaissance program. Student (n=1,936) and teacher (n=105) responses to the…

This report describes a program for using graphic organizers to enhance reading comprehension in the content areas. The targeted population consisted of middle school students in regular education classes at four different locations in a large metropolitan area. Graphic organizers will aid visually/spatially talented students as well as…