Discusses the efforts of a fifth-grade teacher and a visiting poet to rekindle students' sense of poetic passion and pleasure. Describes how the authors introduced students to poems for two voices (using P. Fleischman's "Joyful Noise"). The poetry unit culminated in a project in which students read and performed Fleischman's poems, then wrote and…

Compared commercial ratings of electronic games with ratings by 201 fourth graders. There was general agreement for games with obviously nonviolent or very violent content, but much more disagreement about the violence in cartoon-type games. Recommends including consumer perceptions in a rating system. (SLD)

Reflects on the statement, "Literature should be removed from the center of the English curriculum and become part of the study of language that should be at the center." Tries to "clear the way" for students to write passionately about their lives and feelings and encourages students to explore their thinking through reading…

Twelve classes of students in grades 4 through 6 studied beaver ecology, either at an outdoor-education center near Toronto or in the classroom. Results indicate that outdoor education was more effective in promoting students' cognitive achievement than classroom study, but did not confirm the popular belief that outdoor programs influence…

Investigated the joint effects of attitude survey format and language arts achievement level on students' (N=82) attitudes toward reading. Results indicate no significant main effect on attitude responses due to achievement level but the main effect due to survey format was significant. Interaction between achievement level and format was also…

Middle school students who participated in both single-sex and coeducational physical education (PE) classes completed questionnaires eliciting their opinions on perceived abilities, affinity toward PE, and preferences for coeducational and same-sex classes. Most students liked PE, preferred same-sex classes, and rated themselves highly on PE…

Studied reasons for tardiness given by students in private middle school for girls. Found that some sort of transportation problem was the most common reason, followed by health-related causes, sleeping habits, family-related excuses, no reason given, and miscellaneous excuses. (KB)

Examines the hypothesis that early adolescent girls (N=175) with more negative weight-related body images would report higher levels of depressive symptoms. Results indicate that the more subjective and personal measures of weight-related body image discontent (weight dissatisfaction and weight concerns) were associated with increased depressive…

Describes the author's work in his fifth-grade class as he helps his students understand the importance that culture plays in their representations of meaning. Shows how opportunities to transcend language by using other sign systems allow multiculturalism to flourish. Describes a schoolwide celebration of cultures through various arts and sign…

Describes how in the examination of a sixth-grade girl's participation in the language arts classroom that is driven by high-stakes testing and by a regimented classroom culture, the authors came to view students' approaches to literacy events as "stances" and their negotiation of their subjectivities in response to literacy events as…

Examines responses to the children's book "William's Doll" by two groups of fourth-grade students, one responding in 1975 and the other group responding in 1997. Finds that many responses to the idea of a boy wanting a doll for a toy still arose from heavily stereotyped attitudes toward gender. Notes implications for the classroom. (SR)

Twenty students with learning disabilities in inclusive fourth and fifth grades were interviewed to determine their experience with school-related loneliness and coping strategies. Most students felt lonely at school when they were bored or lacked a companion and coped by engaging in a solitary activity or seeking companionship. (Contains…

Looks at literature discussion groups from the student's perspective. Finds three major themes: (1) students have a clear notion of the conditions that are conducive to effective discussions; (2) students perceived the gender make-up of their group to influence how they participated in and experienced their discussions; and (3) students found the…

This paper describes the Motivations for Reading Questionnaire (MRQ), including information on how the MRQ can be used and how to administer and score it. The MRQ assesses 11 possible dimensions of reading motivations. It can be used with children in late elementary school and middle school. Scores on the MRQ have been shown to relate to…

This study investigated whether music could be used as a tool to motivate students with emotional disturbances to develop positive attitudes toward writing and whether these attitudes would result in a higher volume of writing output and improved writing skills. The research focused on two fourth-grade male students. The data collection instrument…