Based on the 1998 Arkansas English Language Arts Curriculum Frameworks, this sample curriculum model for grade six language arts is divided into sections focusing on writing; reading; and listening, speaking, and viewing. The writing section's stated goals are to help students employ a wide range of strategies as they write; use different writing…

Each of four teachers taught ecology to eight sixth-grade groups. Eight treatments factorially varied two levels of teacher structuring, soliciting, and reacting. Low soliciting yielded higher student achievement. Low structuring and low reacting interacted to yield lower achievement. Retention measures showed similar main and interaction effects.…

Sixth-grade teachers from diverse content areas and specialized fields came together as teacher-researchers to infuse principles of literacy/language learning across the curriculum, targeting low-achieving students. Through reflective inquiry, they gained insights into new strategies as they revised their roles from content area teachers to…

Using a multiple-choice test and a story frame test, this study measured the effect on reading comprehension of reading a story aloud to English-as-a-Second-Language students. Findings indicate that these students outperformed on both tests those students who read the story silently. (Six references) (Author/CK)

Describes an art exercise that helps students understand the abstract concept of line. Working in groups, students list things that can be found under the earth and then individually create layered earth drawings. A writing exercise follows that encourages analytical thinking and gives students a chance to explain what they discovered. (GG)

Recommends using "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: A Teacher Response Unit." Lists examples of activities contained in the unit, including timeliness, simulations, and writing assignments. Highlights specific activities concerning propaganda, discrimination, and prejudice. (MJP)

Sixth-grade teachers collaborated with staff development coordinators on a cooperative-learning project which taught social skills to 300 students and incorporated attributes of cooperative learning into teaching of all content areas. A primary benefit of the process was the collegiality and teamwork experienced between the teachers and staff…

Argues that Radarsat satellite images should be used in elementary classrooms to teach geography. Studies the abilities of children to interpret features of a Radarsat image. Shows that they can interpret major geographical features on the image but had problems finding Radarsat locations on road maps. (DSK)

Disruptive students are often perceived to be unmotivated, low in self-concept, and lacking in creative characteristics such as originality in thinking and imagination. A total of 99 students from 6th Grade classes of a primary school in Hong Kong completed a survey asking about their effort goal orientation in school motivation, academic…

This paper presents a case study of how social order was created through teacher-student interactions in a single sixth-grade classroom, based on videotaped classroom observations, interviews, and student questionnaires. The paper describes the classroom teacher's teaching methods, use of required texts, and use of standardized tests, especially…

After completing a unit of study entitled "Reading the Daily Newspaper" under the leadership of a teaching team consisting of student teachers and cooperating teachers, sixth-grade pupils wrote a newspaper for their parents describing their experiences in different curriculum areas in the classroom. Guided by the teaching team, student…

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…

This study compared the use of traditional methods and the use of reconstructive elaborations on learning specialized science vocabulary, involving two sixth-grade students with emotional disturbances. The reconstructive elaborations were pictures that linked together information to make it more familiar and meaningful, most commonly through the…

The intent of this study was to reduce the numbers of off-task behaviors of a group of 32 sixth-grade students in an economically disadvantaged, urban, junior high school. The subjects of the study were given the materials (paper, the mathematics book, and pencils) and seated before the tardy bell. Following teacher graphing of each of the…

Dialogue journals, notebooks in which students communicate individually with the teacher on whatever topics they choose, can be both an important way to develop second language ability and a method of integrating language and classroom management. This is particularly true in a multicultural classroom, since the dialogue journals can help the…