Describes a writing program involving second/third grade students and a university language arts class. Discusses a thematic unit and associated writing activities on the themes of winter and poetry. Notes that both groups of students developed better clarity in their written work. (RS)

Introduces an activity in which students build a fuse with steel, wood, light bulbs, copper wire, clay, and batteries. Uses the cross-age instructional approach to teach about the value of instructional time. Contains directions for building a fuse. (YDS)

Outcomes for methods to accelerate thinking skills involving some peer interaction have been more consistently positive than those for purely teacher-directed or materials-led methods. However, methods involving mainly or only peer interaction are rare. This paper describes and evaluates such a method for peer tutoring in thinking skills, which…

A writing task assigned to tenth grade students of a biotechnology unit is elaborated wherein they practiced literacy skills and demonstrated knowledge integration by communicating their understanding to seventh-grade students. The standards put forward by the National Research Council are fulfilled by such teaching strategies.

This pamphlet describes the key elements necessary for a successful schoolwide or classroom-based tutoring program, explores the benefits for tutors and tutees, and explains the steps that are necessary for the effective training of tutors. The first section looks at peer and cross-age tutoring, including terms and definitions and the benefits of…

A practicum used a program of high interest activities involving reading to address the problem of low reading comprehension grades and test scores of eight students in the second through fourth grades, who were an average of 1 year behind the norm in reading. The program's six units included a listening unit, computer technology unit, daily…

Multiage/multiability grouping is when more than one grade level of students is grouped in a classroom. This report summarizes the research on multiage/multiability grouping in the primary grades. The paper, which is intended for use in Kentucky's educational system, focuses on quantitatively based comparative research syntheses. The text…

A practicum report addressed the problem of lack of interest in the literacy of young readers and the need to motivate them to want to read. A cross-age peer-tutoring program was established where primary students were paired with upper intermediate grade students who displayed positive reading attitudes and habits. The tutoring pair worked…

This book is for the use of teachers, parents, and administrators who are planning to initiate a learning-by-tutoring project in their schools. In this teaching method, secondary school students tutor elementary students in basic skills. The goal is to enhance the learning and motivation of the tutors, in contrast to the practice in which the…

The learning module described is designed for the use of teachers interested in implementing or improving a student tutoring program. The content of the module is outlined, and the activities and resources involved in its use are described. A critique of the module is presented, and ordering information is included. (JD)

Four patterns or generalizations about peer tutoring are discussed, including the following: (a) academic gains for the learner seem to be most uniformly produced by highly structured programs which explicitly define the content, sequence, and procedure for each lesson; (b) academic gains for the tutor seem most likely when the tutoring experience…

Children teaching other children is not a new idea, but it is an effective way for older children to have a chance to help younger children and to learn effective methods of helping. This booklet describes numerous effective tutoring programs while outlining the origins of cross-age helping programs, pointing out traps to watch for, and noting key…

This program, included in "Effective Reading Programs...," serves 750 first-through third-grade students from 14 elementary schools. The program is designed to teach letter names, consonant and vowel sounds, sight words, and decoding skills to students who have deficiencies in basic reading skills. The basic elements of the model include…