We report on an extended effort to introduce and evaluate argumentation as a stand-alone component of the middle-school curriculum. The dialogic-focused curriculum continued over two school years and from a research perspective benefitted from the availability of a closely-matched comparison group who participated in a parallel but non-dialogic…

Many parents, educators, and policy makers see great potential for leveraging tools like laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones in the classrooms of the world. Under budget constraints and shared access to equipment for students and teachers, the impacts have been irregular but hint at greater possibilities in 1:1 student computing settings.…

Presents an activity to connect language arts, social studies, and technology in a meaningful way while encouraging students not only to read for details but to "read between the lines" and draw conclusions about a historical figure's inner thoughts and personality. Notes that the biopoem is a simple 10-line poem with a specific, easy-to-follow…

As a part of the teacher licensure program at the graduate level at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC), the M.Ed. Licensure candidate is required to complete an action research project during a 3-semester-hour course that coincides with the 9-semester-hour student teaching experience. This course, Education 5900 Culminating…

Discusses experiences of team teaching a sixth grade collaborative mathematics class that included special needs students. Discusses class assignments and the use of portfolio grading, and the success of special needs students in completing homework and working collaboratively. (JPB)

Describes the computer as a hammer, a tool with unique qualities that allows people to perceive, manipulate, and express language in ways quite different from traditional media. Explores the tool of the multimedia presentation, a common use of technology in classrooms today. Describes a simple project with sixth graders that incorporates reading,…

A reading activity module based on the newspaper was designed for students in grades 6-8 who have had two years of instruction in French as a second language. The module includes the teacher's guide, the facsimile newspaper, and transparencies for class activities. Module objectives are to introduce students to both newspaper reading and…

This report describes a program for improving student vocabulary skills. The targeted population was fifth and sixth grade students in two growing middle class communities located north of a large midwestern city. The problem of low vocabulary skills was documented through observation of student reading and writings, teacher surveys, classroom…

These lesson plans are designed for use by middle school social studies teachers who take their students on a tour of the regional airports of Louisville, Kentucky. Twelve lesson plans are included: "Let's Go There Next, Mom"; "Who Wrote That?"; "The Games They Play!"; "You Flew on What?"; "I Wonder…

Presents a play for sixth graders which emphasizes the importance of school to educational goals. The play is a fantasy in which a middle school student and a superhero companion tour the world of careers. Follow-up activities are suggested. (JAC)

An activity has been used successfully for several years in a middle-school computer class to integrate writing instruction with computer science. Taking approximately five class periods, the activity consists of three phases: (1) the 6th-grade students use paper and pencil to write a story in any literary format; (2) 11th- and 12th-grade…

The outline lists 14 career education activities that middle school teachers (grades 6-8) can relate to subject areas of: science, mathematics, English, social studies, foreign language, art, home economics, music, and industrial arts. Educational requirements are described for various occupations; occupations also are listed under appropriate…

A sixth-grade student teacher developed and implemented a unit on creative writing, and one lesson in the unit on writing legends was particularly successful. A discussion of Davy Crockett and the legends surrounding his life, began the lesson. The student teacher then introduced trade books from the library station for the pupils to read.…

Shows how a first-year science teacher met the challenge of an innovative program in which all sixth-grade content teachers at one school assumed responsibility for teaching content-area literacy. Describes the various strategies he taught for reading and learning in content-area instruction, including compare and contrast, sequencing activities,…

Describes the Multiple Intelligence search (used by the author with 6th and 9th graders) based on Ken Macrorie's "I-Search" and Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Describes the process as students conducted a search using library resources and technology; became experts on topics they are passionate about; created a professional…