The effect of the middle school experience upon the pre-adolescent's self-concept development is the focus of this report. Self-concept is defined as an understanding of the self based upon an internal frame of reference. The development of a positive self-concept has been frequently listed as a goal of the middle schools. Five research projects…

GRADES OR AGES: Grades 4-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Smoking. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into three sections, one each for intermediate grades, junior high school, and senior high school. Each section is further divided into units organized around "conceptual statements." Units are laid out in four columns across two pages.…

GRADES OR AGES: No mention. Appears to be upper elementary. SUBJECT MATTER: Science units--plants and animals. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into 35 activities. It is mimeographed and staple-bound with a paper cover. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES: No objectives are mentioned. The activities suggested aim to recreate common…

Questionnaire responses of 71 parents of 80 students enrolled in an alternate program at McBride School, Vancouver, are summarized. (For related documents, see TM 002 487, 488.) (DB)

Analyzes data from recent studies on effective middle school principals. Formal education and professional associations are not related to principal effectiveness. Tenure, positive outlook, and ability to work with people are related to principals' effectiveness. These findings are similar to findings on effective elementary and senior high…

This article describes how to improve students' notetaking skills by having them pretend they are journalists wiring in a story. Students must pare down information to the essentials and calculate telegram costs. Sample exercises and a reproducible page are provided. (JL)

A teacher tells how he turned a class of difficult students into a class of eager learners by risking an offbeat teaching method. An inset briefly features seven other success stories. (MT)

Describes a class activity designed to teach students in grades five and six the importance of using an encyclopedia index. (MES)

Several activities covering garbage and its disposal, decay and composting, recycling, and environmental action are suggested. A reproducible page is included. (MT)

The authors describe an interdisciplinary basic practical arts program taught in Hawaii's intermediate grades. Concepts covered are (1) essential needs of people, (2) coping with change, (3) elements of effective management, (4) effective utilization and conservation of resources, and (5) effective provision and consumption of goods and services.…

Creative performance questionnaires were given to 228 gifted and nongifted children (grades 5-8). Results indicated quality and quantity of creative performance were largely unrelated and differences between gifted and nongifted children were slight. For both groups, quantity performance scores were significantly correlated, while quality…

A running program to increase the cardiovascular fitness levels of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children is described. Discussed are the running environment, implementation of a running program, feedback, and reinforcement. (MT)

The article describes the theory of synectics, an idea producing process, and shows how upper elementary gifted students can be taught to use synectics in more effective problem solving. Steps in the synectics process are reviewed. (CL)

Sixth graders and undergraduates were tested in two experiments to investigate the salience imbalance hypothesis, one aspect of the similarity theory of metaphorical processing data indicate that salience imbalance generally enhances metaphorical interpretation but is not a necessity. (Author/BS)

A learning styles inventory listing 27 different classroom tasks in nine categories (including projects, acting, drill, and peer teaching) was administered to primary and intermediate students. Ss designated by their teachers as gifted indicated definite preferences different from nongifted students. (CL)