Health-Related Fitness and Nutritional Practices: Can They Be Enhanced in Upper Elementary School Students?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Derri, Vassiliki; Aggeloussis, Nikos; Petraki, Christina

2004-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of an eight-week health-related fitness and nutrition education program on fitness components and dietary habits in upper elementary school students. Forty children from the fifth and sixth grade, 10 to 12 years of age (M= 11.2, SD= 1.1), participated in the study. The experimental…

Ecology: Learning To Love Our Planet. A Self-Directed Learning Experience. Grades K-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enz, Judith; Diffenderfer, Susan

This self-directed study unit for grades K-3 and 4-8 was developed expressly to transport the student from the position of passive recipient to active participant in his/her own pursuit of knowledge. Within the guide are two complete units: one created for the lower elementary student and one for the upper elementary/middle school student. Units…

Impact of the Developing Mathematical Ideas Professional Development Program on Grade 4 Students' and Teachers' Understanding of Fractions. REL 2017-256

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayanthi, Madhavi; Gersten, Russell; Taylor, Mary Jo; Smolkowski, Keith; Dimino, Joseph

2017-01-01

Contemporary state math standards emphasize that students must demonstrate an understanding of the mathematical ideas underlying the computations that have typically been the core of the elementary school math curriculum. The standards have put an increased emphasis on the study of fractions in upper elementary grades, which are the years during…

Development and Use of the SCI Inventory to Measure Upper Elementary School Children's Scientific Curiosity and Interests.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, Rayman Paul

Reported is a study to develop and test an instrument designed to measure the scientific curiosity and science interests of elementary school students. The inventory was administered to 545 students, grades six through nine, in Columbus, Ohio and 1,050 students, grades six and eight, in Portland, Oregon. Total test-retest reliability of the major…

The Effects of Pupil-Corrected Tests and Written Teacher Comments on Learning to Spell in the Upper Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesner, Julius

To determine the effects of teacher comments on spelling test papers, 32 randomly selected fourth- and sixth-grade teachers from low and high socioeconomic area Los Angeles elementary schools used 965 pupils in their regular classes as subjects. The teachers gave the regular weekly spelling test, and one of four evaluation treatments was randomly…

4th-Grade Readers . . . Not Too Old to Snuggle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutshall, Anne

2009-01-01

Although parents and teachers appreciate the value of reading aloud to early elementary children, they often forget that upper elementary children can still benefit from individual attention during reading. A small pilot study in a South Carolina elementary school demonstrates the value of pairing adults and children for regular reading time.…

Three-Year Study of Students' Attitudes toward Physical Education: Grades 4-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercier, Kevin; Donovan, Corinne; Gibbone, Anne; Rozga, Kimberly

2017-01-01

Purpose: A relationship exists between attitudes toward physical education and future physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in attitude toward physical education as students progressed from upper elementary school (Grade 4) through middle school (Grade 8). Method: Three cohorts of students (Cohort 1, Grades 4-6,…

Adventures in Law and History. Volume I: Native Americans, the Spanish Frontier, and the Gold Rush. A Law and Civic Education Curriculum for Upper Elementary Grades with Units on Rules and Laws, Property, and Authority.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Croddy, Marshall; Degelman, Charles; Doggett, Keri; Hayes, Bill

This is volume one of a two-volume civics curriculum on law and effective citizenship for upper-elementary students. The lessons, set in American historical eras, engage students in cooperative-learning activities, role plays, simulations, readers theater, stories, and guided discussions, which introduce and reinforce law-related and civic…

Improving Recreational Reading Habits of Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krug, Marline; Fordonski, Patricia

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving the recreational reading habits of elementary students through the use of cross-age tutoring in critical reading strategies. The targeted population consisted of a kindergarten and a fourth-grade class in the growing upper-middle-class community of Geneva, Illinois, located…

TEACHER'S GUIDE FOR MICROGARDENING.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CHANDLER, MARION N.

THIS TEACHING GUIDE IS DESIGNED FOR USE WITH AN ELEMENTARY SCIENCE STUDY UNIT "MICROGARDENING" IN WHICH SIMPLER AND LOWER FORMS OF PLANT LIFE ARE STUDIED THROUGH STUDENT ACTIVITIES INVOLVING MOLDS. THE MATERIALS HAVE BEEN CLASSROOM TESTED AND ARE SUGGESTED FOR MIDDLE AND UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES. THE WORK HAS BEEN ORGANIZED IN FIVE AREAS…

Reach for Reference: Elementary-Middle School Science Reference Collections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safford, Barbara Ripp

2005-01-01

This article presents a brief review of some new school science reference works. Two of the sources are traditional, while one is considered experimental. The two traditional reference works reviewed are "The American Heritage Children's Science Dictionary" for upper elementary grades, and "The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary" for…

"Using" Computer Graphic Representations to Promote Learning in Elementary Science Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazaros, Edward J.; Spotts, Thomas H.

2009-01-01

This interdisciplinary activity promotes science, technology, and language arts and is well suited for upper elementary grade students. In the activity, students' research about a teacher-assigned weather phenomenon facilitates their study of the weather. When they have completed their research, students word process a paper summarizing their…

Consumer Education for Kindergarten through Grade 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Office of Education, Springfield. Div. of Program Planning and Development.

This guide is intended to assist school administrative personnel in the integration of consumer education into the curriculum at the elementary level and to assist teachers in planning and implementing consumer education concepts at the primary, intermediate, and upper elementary levels in language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies…

Preparing Elementary Mathematics-Science Teaching Specialists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, L. Diane

1992-01-01

Describes a professional development program to train math/science specialists for the upper elementary school grades. Using results from an interest survey, 30 teachers were chosen to participate in a 3-year program to become math/science specialists. Presents the teaching model used and the advantages for teachers and students in having subject…

Suburban School Opens Elementary Campus in the Heart of Memphis: St. George's Independent School, Memphis, Tennessee

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Sarah

2016-01-01

St. George's has nearly 1,150 students on three campuses: an elementary campus in Germantown and a middle/upper school campus in Collierville, both suburbs of Memphis, and a second elementary campus in Memphis. The Memphis campus serves 140 students in pre-K-5th grade. All Memphis campus students receive financial aid based on need, and…

Part Singing Revisited.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Junda, Mary Ellen

1997-01-01

Maintains that children's success with drones, responsorial singing, and ostinatos in the primary grades can lead naturally to the singing of polyphony and homophony in the upper elementary grades. Recommends teachers using age-appropriate materials, teaching sequentially, and evaluating each instructional step. Lists national standards related to…

Elementary School Counselors' Perceptions of Reality Play Counseling in Students' Relationship Building and Problem-Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Eric S.; Clark, Mary Ann

2012-01-01

In this qualitative study, eight school counselors participated in a series of reality play counseling trainings introducing techniques appropriate for counseling upper-grade elementary school students to enhance positive relationship building and problem solving skills. Participants were interviewed and their transcripts were analyzed using…

ILLUSTRATED HANDBOOK OF SOME COMMON MOLDS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CHANDLER, MARION N.

THIS DOCUMENT IS A PICTURE GUIDE FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF TEN COMMON MOLDS. IT IS DESIGNED FOR USE WITH THE ELEMENTARY SCIENCE STUDY UNIT "MICROGARDENING" AND IS SUGGESTED FOR UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADES. INCLUDED FOR EACH MOLD ARE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS AND PHOTOMICROGRAPHS OF THE INTACT MOLD MASS AND OF THE MOLD'S SPORE PRODUCING STRUCTURES.…

Elementary Unit in Italian Ethnic Studies. TM-1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simerville, Susan; And Others

This study is considered to have been designed as an experimental plan for upper elementary grades with the hope that it would be tried, revised, expanded, and improved upon. Two factors are stressed: communication with children in the affective domain, and drawing upon resources and people from the children's immediate environment. The length of…

Using the Newspaper in Upper Elementary and Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morse, Julie C.

Newspapers are valuable educational resources because they contain material that is varied, up-to-date, and interesting to students. This document is a guide for elementary and middle school teachers who want to incorporate newspapers into daily classroom instruction. There are ten lessons for each of the five subject areas covered. Each lesson…

An Electrifying Quiz! Constructing a Printed-Circuit Board Quiz Game

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calhoun, Michael J.

2005-01-01

Laptop computers, cell phones and the Apple iPod all contain transistors, IC chips, capacitors, and other electronic components. To the general public--and especially students in upper elementary and middle school grades--these components are most often very mysterious items. Yet, it is at elementary and middle school levels that scientists and…

Inference Instruction to Support Reading Comprehension for Elementary Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Colby; Barnes, Marcia A.

2017-01-01

Making inferences during reading is a critical standards-based skill and is important for reading comprehension. This article supports the improvement of reading comprehension for students with learning disabilities (LD) in upper elementary grades by reviewing what is currently known about inference instruction for students with LD and providing…

Gender Inequities in Grade Two: A Look at Educators and Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Augello, Gina

A study was conducted to determine if second grade teachers use gender biased literature and if these teachers are unintentionally sending biased messages to their students. Sixty-two second grade students and their three teachers were included in this study. The study was conducted in an upper-middle-class suburban elementary school. Several…

Math Process Standards Series, Grades 3-5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connell, Susan, Ed.

2008-01-01

NCTM's Process Standards support teaching that helps upper elementary level children develop independent, effective mathematical thinking. The books in the Heinemann Math Process Standards Series give every intermediate-grades teacher the opportunity to explore each standard in depth. With language and examples that don't require prior math…

Classroom Idea-Sparkers: Grading and Student Learning--Ideas for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wegwert, Joseph C.

2012-01-01

Grading is often seen as a point of conflict with students and, in upper elementary and beyond, with parents. It is a chore that consumes time and saps critical levels of energy better used for creative planning and preparation and face-to-face interactions with students. Grading is sometimes referred to as a "necessary evil," yet many teachers…

Improving Access to Elementary School Social Studies Instruction: Strategies to Support Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciullo, Stephen

2015-01-01

Social studies instruction in upper elementary school (Grades 3-5) is important for building foundational content knowledge to equip students for the secondary school curriculum. Due to numerous school initiatives and demands on the time of teachers, social studies instruction can play second fiddle to reading and mathematics instruction, which…

Home Advantage: Social Class and Parental Intervention in Elementary Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lareau, Annette

Social class influences parent involvement in schooling. This book uses the case study method to compare family-school relationships in a working-class elementary school with those in an upper middle-class school, focusing on one first grade class in each school, and within the two schools, on 12 families, over the course of their children's first…

Attitudes and Beliefs of Upper Elementary Teachers Regarding the Teaching of Cursive Handwriting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Myers, Dorothy

2013-01-01

This study surveyed current third-, fourth- and fifth-grade teachers in two small school districts in the southeast. One school district has initiated a technology initiative in its elementary schools. The other school district involved in the study incorporates technology but does not have a specified technology initiative. This dissertation was…

Teaching New Literacies in Grades 4-6: Resources for 21st-Century Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Barbara, Ed.; Lapp, Diane, Ed.

2009-01-01

Upper-elementary students encounter a sometimes dizzying array of traditional and nontraditional texts both in and outside of the classroom. This practical handbook helps teachers in grades 4-6 harness the instructional potential of fiction, poetry, and plays; informational texts; graphic novels; digital storytelling; Web-based and multimodal…

The Promise of a Literacy Reform Effort in the Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walpole, Sharon; Amendum, Steven; Pasquarella, Adrian; Strong, John Z.; McKenna, Michael C.

2017-01-01

We compared year-long gains in fluency and comprehension in grades 3-5 in 3 treatment and 4 comparison schools. Treatment schools implemented a comprehensive school reform (CSR) program called Bookworms. The program employed challenging text and emphasized high text volume, aggressive vocabulary and knowledge building, and contextualized strategy…

Exploring the Explorers Using Internet Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torrez, Cheryl Franklin; Bush, Gina

2009-01-01

The topic of explorers and exploration is commonly taught in the upper elementary grades. Depending on state and local social studies content standards, teachers will develop a curriculum unit on Explorers of Our State for fourth grade students, a unit on Explorers of the United States for fifth graders, and one on World Explorers for sixth…

Nutrition Education-Choose Well, Be Well: A Curriculum Guide for the Upper Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merklein, Robert, Ed.; Smith, Theodore, Ed.

Part of the "Nutrition Education-Choose Well, Be Well" curriculum series, this guide was developed to help teachers, food service personnel, professionals, and parents provide nutrition education and make nutrition come alive in the classroom, home, or cafeteria. Organized by grade level (from fourth through sixth), activities described…

Effects of an Informational Text Reading Comprehension Intervention for Fifth-Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ritchey, Kristen D.; Palombo, Kimberly; Silverman, Rebecca D.; Speece, Deborah L.

2017-01-01

Upper elementary school students who have reading problems may have difficulty in one or more areas of reading, each requiring specific types of interventions. This study evaluated a short-term reading intervention for 46 fifth-grade students with poor reading comprehension. Students were randomly assigned to an intervention or no treatment…

A Focus on Upper Elementary Teacher Preparation: Developmentally Appropriate Practice and Standards Shaping Our Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Finnan, Christine

2010-01-01

This article is a call to action for elementary teacher educators. Our early childhood and middle grades colleagues made a clear case for the importance of focusing on specific developmental characteristics and family and community influences on development during the critical years they represent. A similar case has not been made for the upper…

An Energy Education Unit for Upper Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doyle, Charles

1980-01-01

Describes a two-part energy unit for gifted fifth and sixth graders. Students conduct energy use/waste surveys and participate in a simulation game concerning a particular environmental/energy problem. (SJL)

The Integration of Creative Drama in an Inquiry-Based Elementary Program: The Effect on Student Attitude and Conceptual Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hendrix, Rebecca; Eick, Charles; Shannon, David

2012-11-01

Creative drama activities designed to help children learn difficult science concepts were integrated into an inquiry-based elementary science program. Children (n = 38) in an upper elementary enrichment program at one primary school were the participants in this action research. The teacher-researcher taught students the Full Option Science System™ (FOSS) modules of sound (fourth grade) and solar energy (fifth grade) with the integration of creative drama activities in treatment classes. A 2 × 2 × (2) Mixed ANOVA was used to examine differences in the learning outcomes and attitudes toward science between groups (drama and non-drama) and grade levels (4th and 5th grades) over time (pre/post). Learning was measured using the tests included with the FOSS modules. A shortened version of the Three Dimension Elementary Science Attitude Survey measured attitudes toward science. Students in the drama treatment group had significantly higher learning gains ( F = 160.2, p < 0.001) than students in the non-drama control group with students in grade four reporting significantly greater learning outcomes ( F = 14.3, p < 0.001) than grade five. There was a significantly statistical decrease in student attitudes toward science ( F = 7.5, p < 0.01), though a small change. Creative drama was an effective strategy to increase science conceptual learning in this group of diverse elementary enrichment students when used as an active extension to the pre-existing inquiry-based science curriculum.

Learning More about Black Americans. An Instructional Unit for the Upper Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

This instructional unit for grades 4-6 specifies objectives, resources, and lesson plans to help students develop knowledge and appreciation of contributions made by blacks to American society. The activities can be integrated with other program areas, such as language arts, music, and art. For each of four instructional objectives the unit…

Diagnostic Accuracy of Multivariate Universal Screening Procedures for Reading in Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingbeil, David A.; Nelson, Peter M.; Van Norman, Ethan R.; Birr, Chris

2017-01-01

We examined the diagnostic accuracy and efficiency of three approaches to universal screening for reading difficulties using retrospective data from 1,307 students in Grades 3 through 5. School staff collected screening data using the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP), a curriculum-based measure (CBM), and running records (RR). The criterion…

RESEARCH IN READING FOR THE MIDDLE GRADES. AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

CUTTS, WARREN G.

THIS BULLETIN PRESENTS RESEARCH STUDIES IN READING ON THE UPPER ELEMENTARY GRADE LEVEL DURING THE PERIOD FROM 1955 THROUGH 1960. THIS COMPILATION WAS UNDERTAKEN BY THE OFFICE OF EDUCATION IN AN ATTEMPT TO BRING TOGETHER THE UNPUBLISHED AS WELL AS PUBLISHED STUDIES OF THAT 5-YEAR PERIOD. THE 238 STUDIES WHICH ARE OUTLINED, SUMMARIZED, AND ANNOTATED…

Opinions of Upper Elementary Students about a "Good Teacher" (Case Study in Turkey).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksoy, Naciye

This study examined the opinions of 170 Turkish elementary students in grades 6-8 about what makes a good teacher. Students completed surveys that asked about how they would describe a good teacher, what a teacher should do to be good, and what they would do and would not do if they were good teachers. Questions were open-ended to elicit student…

Initial Spanish Proficiency and English Language Development among Spanish-Speaking English Learner Students in New Mexico. REL 2018-286

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arellano, Brenda; Liu, Feng; Stoker, Ginger; Slama, Rachel

2018-01-01

To what extent do Spanish-speaking English learner students develop English proficiency and grade-level readiness in English language arts and math from early elementary school to upper elementary school? Is there a relationship between proficiency in a student's primary home language, Spanish, and the amount of time needed to attain fluency in…

How Executive Functions Predict Development in Syntactic Complexity of Narrative Writing in the Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drijbooms, Elise; Groen, Margriet A.; Verhoeven, Ludo

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of transcription skills, oral language skills, and executive functions to growth in narrative writing between fourth and sixth grade. While text length and story content of narratives did not increase with age, syntactic complexity of narratives showed a clear developmental progression. Results…

Multisyllabic Word-Reading Instruction with and without Motivational Beliefs Training for Struggling Readers in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Pilot Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toste, Jessica R.; Capin, Philip; Vaughn, Sharon

2017-01-01

This randomized controlled trial focused on 59 struggling readers in the third and fourth grades (30 female, 29 male) and examined the efficacy of an intervention aimed at increasing students' multisyllabic word reading (MWR). The study also explored the relative effects of an embedded motivational beliefs (MB) training component. Struggling…

Joyous Reading: Aspects of Literature Enjoyment for Black/African American Fourth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosley, Sherea

2017-01-01

This study primarily explores the types of books African American children in a local fourth grade classroom like and enjoy. Books students are interested in reading and other related aspects that contribute to their literary enjoyment are also explored. It is during the upper elementary years that many students who eventually express little or no…

Software Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Diane, Ed.

1989-01-01

Reviewed are two computer software programs for Apple II computers on weather for upper elementary and middle school grades. "Weather" introduces the major factors (temperature, humidity, wind, and air pressure) affecting weather. "How Weather Works" uses simulation and auto-tutorial formats on sun, wind, fronts, clouds, and…

Suggestions for Curriculum Development [And] Handbook Upper Elementary Grades, Part B, 4-6. Environmental Education Interdependence: A Concept Approach. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, David C.; Long, Cathryn J.

Two booklets comprise the grades 4-6 component of a series of guides for incorporating environmental education into the existing curriculum. Both the guide and handbook emphasize a multidisciplinary approach, use the concept of interdependence as an organizing theme, and offer suggestions for using the local community as a resource to study the…

A Teacher's Guide to the Energy 80 Student Booklet for the 1981-82 School Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lord, John, Ed.

This teaching guide was developed for use with Energy 80 program student booklets. Although the program was designed for junior high/middle school students in science/social studies classes, it is indicated that the materials are suitable for use at higher grades and, to a lesser extent, in upper elementary grades. The first 80 pages of the guide…

Computerized Instruction in Translation Strategies for Students in Upper Elementary and Middle School Grades with Persisting Learning Disabilities in Written Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niedo, Jasmin; Tanimoto, Steve; Thompson, Robert H.; Abbott, Robert D.; Berninger, Virginia W.

2016-01-01

Students in grades 5 to 9 (ages 10 to 14; 6 girls, 27 boys) who had persisting specific learning disabilities in transcription (handwriting and spelling) completed three kinds of composition tasks requiring translation (thought to written language) on iPads using alternating transcription modes (stylus or keyboard) across every three lessons:…

Early Learning and Early Identification Follow-Up Study: Transition from the Early to the Later Childhood Grades, 1990-93.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcon, Rebecca A.

As follow-up to an in-depth study of the District of Columbia's early learning programs and their impact, this study provided data on the transition of previously studied children from primary education to upper elementary grades. Academic progress of the original group of pre-kindergarten and Head Start children was studied during years 5 and 6…

Achievement goal profiles and developments in effort and achievement in upper elementary school.

PubMed

Hornstra, Lisette; Majoor, Marieke; Peetsma, Thea

2017-12-01

The multiple goal perspective posits that certain combinations of achievement goals are more favourable than others in terms of educational outcomes. This study aimed to examine longitudinally whether students' achievement goal profiles and transitions between profiles are associated with developments in self-reported and teacher-rated effort and academic achievement in upper elementary school. Participants were 722 fifth-grade students and their teachers in fifth and sixth grade (N = 68). Students reported on their achievement goals and effort in language and mathematics three times in grade 5 to grade 6. Teachers rated students' general school effort. Achievement scores were obtained from school records. Goal profiles were derived with latent profile and transition analyses. Longitudinal multilevel analyses were conducted. Theoretically favourable goal profiles (high mastery and performance-approach goals, low on performance-avoidance goals), as well as transitions from less to more theoretically favourable goal profiles, were associated with higher levels and more growth in effort for language and mathematics and with stronger language achievement gains. Overall, these results provide support for the multiple goal perspective and show the sustained benefits of favourable goal profiles beyond effects of cognitive ability and background characteristics. © 2017 The Authors. British Journal of Education Psychology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Psychological Society.

Self-Determined Learning to Motivate Struggling Learners in Reading and Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wehmeyer, Michael L.; Shogren, Karrie A.; Toste, Jessica R.; Mahal, Stephanie

2017-01-01

Promoting self-determined learning through student-directed learning strategies has been documented to promote more positive school-related outcomes for upper elementary grade learners with disabilities and other students who are struggling. These strategies are typically introduced in multicomponent interventions combining several…

Children's Perceptions of the Qualities of Sibling Relationships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furman, Wyndol; Buhrmester, Duane

1985-01-01

Developed a framework for describing and assessing the qualities of sibling relationships by interviewing upper elementary school children and administering a self-report questionnaire to fifth- and sixth-grade children. Component analysis yielded four underlying factors: warmth/closeness, relative status/power, conflict, and rivalry. Relative…

Integrative Discovery Doing Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harry, Vickie; Belzer, William

1990-01-01

The article details a program in which gifted upper elementary grade students used videomicroscopy in a study of microscopic life in pond water. Each child produced a narrated videotape of a specific species studied. Program evaluation confirmed the motivational benefits of early opportunities with scientific instrumentation and methodology. (DB)

Changes in healthy childhood lifestyle behaviors in Japanese rural areas.

PubMed

Nakano, Takahiro; Kasuga, Kosho; Murase, Tomohiko; Suzuki, Kazuhiro

2013-04-01

Unhealthy lifestyles during childhood constitute a public health problem in Japan. However, current health education in Japan is ineffective in counteracting them. Previous studies contend that healthy lifestyles in children vary by academic grade and sex. This study examined changes throughout childhood suggests some intervention points for lifestyle education. The participants were 2833 elementary and junior high school students living in Japanese rural areas. Data on 26 variables assigned to 5 subfactors were collected. We estimated the composite score of each subfactor on the basis of item response theory. A 2-way ANOVA and a graph review were performed to explore the differences and changes by sex and grade. Most of the main effects for sex and grade were statistically significant. Lifestyle behaviors acquired early in elementary school were lost as students progressed to higher grades. The research indicated the following emphases: (1) Physical activity and leisure habits should be focused on girls and hygiene habits on boys; (2) Continuous education for a healthy lifestyle is essential to maintain good health among children; (3) Education for healthy lifestyle can be classified into 2 important stages such as for dietary and sleeping habits, education from the upper grades of elementary school is important, whereas for other routine activities, reeducation in junior high school is effective. © 2013, American School Health Association.

Problem Solvers: Solutions--Playing Basketball

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

In this article, fourth grade Upper Allen Elementary School (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) teacher Jeffrey Smith describes his exploration of the Playing Basketball activity. Herein he describes how he found the problem to be an effective way to review concepts associated with the measurement of elapsed time with his students. Additionally, it…

Ways Animals Communicate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Kristen; Sumrall, William J.; Moore, Jerilou; Daniels, Anniece

2008-01-01

The authors describe a set of upper-elementary activities that focuses on how animals communicate. The activities describe procedures that students working in groups can use to investigate the topic of animal communication. An initial information sheet, resource list, and grading rubric are provided. The lesson plan was field-tested in an…

Effects of Nonverbal Problem Solving Treatment on Skills for Externalizing Visual Representation in Upper Elementary Grade Students with and without Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winn, William; Berninger, Virginia; Richards, Todd; Aylward, Elizabeth; Stock, Pat; Lee, Yen-Ling; Lovitt, Dan

2006-01-01

Two groups of twelve dyslexic children and twelve good readers attended a two-week class during the summer following their enrollment in grades 4-6. The topic was the marine environment and focused on the adventures of an orca whale that had lost its family and needed the children's help. The children attended class for three hours each day, 45…

Seeing the Forest, Not the Trees: Essential Technologies for Literacy in the Primary-Grade and Upper Elementary-Grade Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leu, Donald J.; Forzani, Elena; Timbrell, Nicole; Maykel, Cheryl

2015-01-01

While countless new technologies are appearing in our lives and in school classrooms, we argue that we need to keep in mind our goals in reading before we use any of them. We suggest that a primary goal is to develop the ability to read in order to learn with online information. Technologies that support this goal, especially the Internet, and…

Reconceiving the Standards and the School Music Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reimer, Bennett

2004-01-01

Music offerings in United States schools have remained largely the same for well over half a century. Basic program consists of general music classes up to and sometimes through middle school and elective performance opportunities in upper elementary grades through high school, primarily focused on band (including jazz groups), orchestra, and…

The Land of the Armenians.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soghikian, Juanita Will; Hacobian, Mossik

This booklet for the upper elementary grades introduces students to Armenian history and geography. The document, one of a series of seven instructional materials dealing with the history and culture of American Armenians, is outlined in seven sessions. In Session I students read a geographic description of the historic Armenian homeland, color…

Collaborative Strategic Reading for Students with Learning Disabilities in Upper Elementary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boardman, Alison G.; Vaughn, Sharon; Buckley, Pamela; Reutebuch, Colleen; Roberts, Greg; Klingner, Janette

2016-01-01

Sixty fourth- and fifth-grade general education teachers were randomly assigned to teach Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR; Klingner, Vaughn, Boardman, & Swanson, 2012), a set of reading comprehension strategies, or to a business-as-usual comparison group. Results demonstrate that students with learning disabilities (LD) who received CSR…

Box City Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Understanding the Built Environment, Prairie Village, KS.

This curriculum packet contains two lesson plans about cities and architecture intended for use with students in upper elementary grades and middle schools. The first lesson plan, "City People, City Stories" (Jan Ham), states that understanding architecture and cities must begin with an understanding of the people of the city. The children create…

Students' Reasoning about Invariance of Volume as a Quantity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kara, Melike

2013-01-01

The aims of this study were to investigate how upper-elementary-grade students compare the volume of rectangular prisms of equal volume (specifically, students' noticing and reasoning for invariance of volume and coordination of the three linear dimensions of rectangular prisms) and how students' levels of sophistication in volume measurement…

Transporting Radioactive Waste: An Engineering Activity. Grades 5-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HAZWRAP, The Hazardous Waste Remedial Actions Program.

This brochure contains an engineering activity for upper elementary, middle school, and high school students that examines the transportation of radioactive waste. The activity is designed to inform students about the existence of radioactive waste and its transportation to disposal sites. Students experiment with methods to contain the waste and…

Reading Big Words: Instructional Practices to Promote Multisyllabic Word Reading Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toste, Jessica R.; Williams, Kelly J.; Capin, Philip

2017-01-01

Poorly developed word recognition skills are the most pervasive and debilitating source of reading challenges for students with learning disabilities (LD). With a notable decrease in word reading instruction in the upper elementary grades, struggling readers receive fewer instructional opportunities to develop proficient word reading skills, yet…

Ubiquitous Wireless Laptops in Upper Elementary Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clariana, Roy

2009-01-01

This quasi-experimental investigation considers the second year of implementation of wireless laptops (1:1 ratio) in three 6th grade mathematics classrooms in one school compared to non-laptop classrooms (5:1 ratio) in seven other schools in the district. Comprehensive mathematics software from CompassLearning delivered via the internet was…

Birds of Prey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irwin, Harriet

Introducing students to different hawks and owls found in Wisconsin and building a basis for appreciation of these birds in their own environment is the purpose of this teacher's guide. Primarily geared for upper elementary and junior high grades, the concepts presented could be used in conjunction with the study of ecology. A filmstrip is…

Treasures from the Past: Using Archaeology in Upper-Elementary Social Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Cynthia C.

1997-01-01

Describes a fourth grade teacher's interdisciplinary efforts at imparting the joys of archaeology to her students. The students read fiction and non-fiction materials about the physical environments and participated in a series of hands-on learning activities. These involved simulated archaeological digs, personal artifacts, and realia. (MJP)

The Development of Attitudes Toward Work Among Upper Elementary School Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuldau, Janice E.; Hollis, Joseph W.

1971-01-01

Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students were sampled using the Kuldau Occupational Development Inventory to discover their attitudes toward the world of work. The conclusion drawn was that children had developed attitudes towards five factors: money, status, working conditions, independence and self expression. (Author/CG)

Science Experience Unit: Plant and Animal Adaptations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson-Florissant School District, Ferguson, MO.

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…

Predicting the Development of Analytical and Creative Abilities in Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gubbels, Joyce; Segers, Eliane; Verhoeven, Ludo

2017-01-01

In some models, intelligence has been described as a multidimensional construct comprising both analytical and creative abilities. In addition, intelligence is considered to be dynamic rather than static. A structural equation model was used to examine the predictive role of cognitive (visual short-term memory, verbal short-term memory, selective…

Reach for Reference. No Opposition Here! Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center Is a Very Good Database

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safford, Barbara Ripp

2004-01-01

"Opposing Viewpoints" and "Opposing Viewpoints Juniors" have long been standard titles in upper elementary, middle level, and high school collections. "Opposing Viewpoints Juniors" should be required as information literacy/critical thinking curriculum tools as early as fifth grade as they use current controversies to teach students how to…

Demonstration Aids for Aviation Education. [Volume II].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Debbie; Hickson, Carol

This series consists of four packets containing simple, concrete activities for students in the upper elementary grades. The purpose of the series is to illustrate certain principles related to various concepts of aviation and space. Each packet forms a coherent program of instruction on a single topic: (1) non-powered flight; (2) aerospace and…

Brain Stretchers, Book 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carolyn; Haller, Jackie

This collection of activities is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The activities are non-graded and can be used from upper elementary to high school. Reading levels vary from no reading required to very little reading required and can be used effectively with students who are poor readers, bilingual, or at a special…

Brain Stretchers, Book 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Carolyn; Haller, Jackie

This collection of activities is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills. The activities are non-graded and can be used from upper elementary to high school. The reading levels vary from no reading required to very little reading required and can be used effectively with students who are poor readers, bilingual, or at a special…

Engineering Encounters: Building Technological Literacy with Philosophy and Nature of Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruse, Jerrid; Wilcox, Jesse

2017-01-01

This column presents ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. In this issue the authors discuss a design project they have used with upper elementary students (grades 4-6). They note ways to engage students in thinking philosophically about technology to meet engineering design outcomes in the "Next Generation Science…

Laboratory Experiences in Marine Biology for Upper Elementary and Secondary School Grades, Teachers Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raimist, Roger J.

Designed to assist the teacher who wishes to use marine organisms for biological laboratory investigations, this manual includes general information on maintaining marine aquaria and collecting marine organisms as well as five tested laboratory exercises. The exercises deal with the measurement of oxygen consumption (giving techniques for…

Using Notable Children's Literature and Questioning Techniques to Enhance Comprehension.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poole, Gary; Poole, Scott

Intended for language arts teachers of the upper elementary grades, this guide suggests vocabulary and discussion questions for teaching novels. The questions are on an inferential level of interpretation, rather than literal, and address such topics as style, technique, and plot development. Novels for which questions are provided are: (1)…

Singapore Math: Place Value, Computation & Number Sense. [CD-ROM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Sandra

2008-01-01

"Singapore Math: Place Value, Computation & Number Sense" is a six-part presentation on CD-ROM that can be used by individual teachers or an entire school. The author takes primary to upper elementary grade teachers through place value skills with each of the computational operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. She gives…

Radarsat Satellite Images: A New Geography Tool for Upper Elementary Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirman, Joseph M.

1999-01-01

Describes the Canadian Radarsat Satellite and remote sensing in order to demonstrate that teachers can incorporate this technology into the classroom. Maintains that third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students can understand and interpret remote sensing images and Landsat images. Provides a list of teaching resources other than the expensive…

Incorporating Two-Square into Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyler, Tim; Wilson, Sandy

2012-01-01

Physical educators often struggle to teach individual striking skills to upper level (3-5 grade) elementary students. Finding a developmentally appropriate striking activity with a high participation rate can be a challenge. And sports such as tennis, pickleball, and badminton are often not an option for a variety of reasons (e.g., space or…

Academic Discussions: An Analysis of Instructional Discourse and an Argument for an Integrative Assessment Framework

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elizabeth, Tracy; Ross Anderson, Trisha L.; Snow, Elana H.; Selman, Robert L.

2012-01-01

This article describes the structure of academic discussions during the implementation of a literacy curriculum in the upper elementary grades. The authors examine the quality of academic discussion, using existing discourse analysis frameworks designed to evaluate varying attributes of classroom discourse. To integrate the overlapping qualities…

Fun with Phase Changes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purvis, David

2006-01-01

A lot of good elementary science involves studying solids, liquids, and gases, and some inquiry-based activities that are easy to set up and do. In this article, the author presents activities pertaining to simple phase change. Using water as the example, these activities introduce upper-grade students to the idea of the arrangement of molecules…

Instructional and behavior management practices implemented by elementary general education teachers.

PubMed

Reddy, Linda A; Fabiano, Gregory A; Dudek, Christopher M; Hsu, Louis

2013-12-01

This investigation examined 317 general education kindergarten through fifth-grade teachers' use of instructional and behavioral management strategies as measured by the Classroom Strategy Scale (CSS)-Observer Form, a multidimensional tool for assessing classroom practices. The CSS generates frequency of strategy use and discrepancy scores reflecting the difference between recommended and actual frequencies of strategy use. Hierarchical linear models (HLMs) suggested that teachers' grade-level assignment was related to their frequency of using instructional and behavioral management strategies: Lower grade teachers utilized more clear 1 to 2 step commands, praise statements, and behavioral corrective feedback strategies than upper grade teachers, whereas upper grade teachers utilized more academic monitoring and feedback strategies, content/concept summaries, student focused learning and engagement, and student thinking strategies than lower grade teachers. Except for the use of praise statements, teachers' usage of instructional and behavioral management strategies was not found to be related to years of teaching experience or to the interaction of years of teaching experience and grade-level assignment. HLMs suggested that teachers' grade level was related to their discrepancy scores of some instructional and behavioral management strategies: Upper grade teachers had higher discrepancy scores in academic performance feedback, behavioral feedback, and praise than lower grade teachers. Teachers' discrepancy scores of instructional and behavioral management strategies were not found to be related to years of teaching experience or to the interaction of years of teaching experience and grade-level assignment. Implications of results for school psychology practice are outlined. © 2013.

A pedagogical example of second-order arithmetic sequences applied to the construction of computer passwords by upper elementary grade students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coggins, Porter E.

2015-04-01

The purpose of this paper is (1) to present how general education elementary school age students constructed computer passwords using digital root sums and second-order arithmetic sequences, (2) argue that computer password construction can be used as an engaging introduction to generate interest in elementary school students to study mathematics related to computer science, and (3) share additional mathematical ideas accessible to elementary school students that can be used to create computer passwords. This paper serves to fill a current gap in the literature regarding the integration of mathematical content accessible to upper elementary school students and aspects of computer science in general, and computer password construction in particular. In addition, the protocols presented here can serve as a hook to generate further interest in mathematics and computer science. Students learned to create a random-looking computer password by using biometric measurements of their shoe size, height, and age in months and to create a second-order arithmetic sequence, then converted the resulting numbers into characters that become their computer passwords. This password protocol can be used to introduce students to good computer password habits that can serve a foundation for a life-long awareness of data security. A refinement of the password protocol is also presented.

Power from Coal. A Student Handbook Recommended for Upper Elementary and Middle Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Coal Association, Washington, DC.

The contributions of coal as an important energy source are reviewed in this booklet for teachers. It provides background information on coal, activities for classroom use, and an answer key for all the exercises. The introductory section includes information on: (1) coal and electricity; (2) reasons for using coal; (3) methods for extracting…

Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms. CSE Report 621

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Alison, L.; Butler, Frances A.; LaFramenta, Charmien; Ong, Christine

2004-01-01

This report details an exploratory study that employs qualitative methods to characterize the academic language used by teachers and students in 4th and 5th grade mainstream science classrooms. Teacher oral language, and to some degree student talk, was observed during content instruction. This type of data allows for a broad descriptive…

Comparative Rural Landscapes: A Conceptual Geographic Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinbrink, John E.

The geography unit is designed for use in upper elementary grades. The unit objective is to help the student learn facts about the landscapes of the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Russia, and Central Africa, and acquire generic ideas which he can apply to the analysis and comparison of other landscapes. The unit is an attempt to apply…

Creating a Science E-Book with Fifth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Encheff, Dana

2013-01-01

This article explains how one teacher used iBooks Author, a free digital textbook creation tool that makes iBooks for iPads, in an upper elementary classroom to improve students' expository writing skills and understanding of science content. The classroom teacher taught students pre-requisite writing and technology skills for two weeks, and…

Teaching Fifth Grade Mathematical Concepts: Effects of Word Problems Used with Traditional Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coy, Jessica

The view of the researcher is that students in the upper elementary to middle school range need to increase their problem-solving skills by making logical deductions and organizing and structuring their thoughts through the use of word problems. Giving children a daily word problem challenged and introduced them to the lesson. This activity…

Unit: Plants, Inspection Pack, National Trial Print.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Science Education Project, Toorak, Victoria.

This is a National Trial Print of a unit on plants produced as a part of the Australian Science Education Project. The unit consists of an information booklet for students, a booklet for recording student data, and a teacher's guide. The material, designed for use with students in the upper elementary grades, takes from 15 to 20 forty-minute…

Guiding Readers and Writers, Grades 3-6: Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fountas, Irene C.; Pinnell, Gay Su

Exploring all the essential components of a quality upper elementary literacy program, this book is a resource for fostering success that will enable students to enjoy a future filled with literacy journeys. Sections of the book address: special help for struggling readers and writers; a basic structure of the literacy program within a framework…

A Replication Study to Evaluate the Effects of Schema-Based Instruction on Middle School Students' Proportional Problem-Solving Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jitendra, Asha K.; Harwell, Michael R.; Karl, Stacy R.; Slater, Susan C.; Simonson, Gregory R.; Nelson, Gena

2016-01-01

Ratio and proportional relationships are of primary importance during the upper elementary and middle school grades (Kilpatrick, Swafford, & Findell, 2001; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 1989, 2000; National Mathematics Advisory Panel [NMAP], 2008). These relationships, along with the interrelated topics of fractions, decimals,…

Fostering Relationships: An Analysis of a School-Based Mentoring Program for Upper Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobaugh, Gregory Alan

2013-01-01

Today's students are facing higher academic and social standards than ever before in the history of education in the United States of America. Under federal legislation, No Child Left Behind (NCLB) states are required to administer standardized tests to students in grades three through eight to measure Language Arts and Mathematics competency.…

Professional Communities in the Context of Teachers' Professional lives: A Case of Mathematics Specialists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nickerson, Susan D.; Moriarty, Gail

2005-01-01

We describe an urban school initiative aimed at teachers' professional development with the goal of increasing their mathematics content knowledge and helping them improve their practice. In the lowest performing schools, mathematics specialists were employed to teach only mathematics in upper-elementary grades (ages 9-12). One aspect of this…

Sex Can Wait: An Abstinence-Based Sexuality Curriculum for Upper Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Michael; Young, Tamera

This curriculum, directed primarily to students in grades five and six, is a 5-week sexuality education program designed to promote sexual abstinence as the best decision young people can make for themselves. The guide is divided into three general areas of emphasis: Knowing Myself, Reltating to Others, and Planning My Future. These sections are…

Breaking Barriers: An Asian-American Curriculum Unit.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brombach, Catherine; Tice, Natasha Florey

A 10-day curriculum is presented for upper elementary grades to explore who is in power on the local, state, and federal levels; and to investigate why so few Asian Americans are in power; and to confront personal prejudices and break stereotypes about Asian Americans. The 10 days are devoted to the following: (1) distinguishing between prejudice…

Professional Development to Support TPACK Technology Integration: The Initial Learning Trajectories of Thirteen Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morsink, Paul M.; Hagerman, Michelle Schira; Heintz, Anne; Boyer, D. Matthew; Harris, Robin; Kereluik, Kristen; Hartman, Douglas K.; Wood, Anne; White, Amber; Woodruff, Carmen; Anderson, Tracey; Goldstein, Shelly; Hamm, Beth; Lewis, Cindy; Lewis, Paul; Mitchell, Cindy; Murphy, Jill; Rogers, Lyn; Sherrieb, Anne; Siegler, Tammy; Withey, Kevin

2011-01-01

This study examined the initial learning trajectories of 13 upper elementary teachers as they developed technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge during a 7-month professional development program to integrate technology into classroom practice. The program was collaborative and non-prescriptive; teachers worked on self-chosen summer…

The Effects of Blogging on Reading Engagement in the Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ray, Holly Wilson

2013-01-01

With children growing up as digital natives, they have become accustomed to a fast paced, multitasking environment. In this digital landscape, children's brains learn in a parallel format, with instant information, as opposed to the traditional linear format with one skill being introduced at a time. Today's education methods used to…

Teaching Aquatic Science as Inquiry through Professional Development: Teacher Characteristics and Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncan Seraphin, Kanesa; Harrison, George M.; Philippoff, Joanna; Brandon, Paul R.; Nguyen, Thanh Truc T.; Lawton, Brian E.; Vallin, Lisa M.

2017-01-01

We present an inquiry-based, aquatic science professional development (PD) for upper-elementary, middle, and high school teachers and examine changes in student outcomes in light of participating teachers' characteristics and the grade band of the students. Our study lends support to the assertion that inquiry- and content-focused PD, paired with…

The Relationship between Language Skills and Writing Outcomes for Linguistically Diverse Students in Upper Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Rebecca D.; Coker, David; Proctor, C. Patrick; Harring, Jeffrey; Piantedosi, Kelly W.; Hartranft, Anna M.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between language variables and writing outcomes with linguistically diverse students in grades 3-5. The participants were 197 children from three schools in one district in the mid-Atlantic United States. We assessed students' vocabulary knowledge and morphological and syntactical skill as…

Supermath: An Alternative Approach to Improving Math Performance in Grades 4 through 9

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pogrow, Stanley

2004-01-01

In this article, the author shares a decade's worth of experience in developing an approach to teaching math to upper-elementary and middle school students that simultaneously increases basic skills, improves problem solving, raises test scores, and sparks student interest in math. Sections include: (1) Background Of Supermath; (2) Description Of…

What Are Error Rates for Classifying Teacher and School Performance Using Value-Added Models?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schochet, Peter Z.; Chiang, Hanley S.

2013-01-01

This article addresses likely error rates for measuring teacher and school performance in the upper elementary grades using value-added models applied to student test score gain data. Using a realistic performance measurement system scheme based on hypothesis testing, the authors develop error rate formulas based on ordinary least squares and…

Translating Vocabulary Research to Social Studies Instruction: Before, during, and after Text-Reading Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hairrell, Angela; Simmons, Deborah; Swanson, Elizabeth; Edmonds, Meaghan; Vaughn, Sharon; Rupley, William H.

2011-01-01

In the upper elementary grades, content-area text gains increasing importance as a primary source of reading and information. This article focuses on the specialized vocabulary demands of social studies texts and presents a framework of teaching and learning strategies based on vocabulary research. Strategies are introduced before, during, and…

Measures of fit and discomfort for elementary school children in Serbia.

PubMed

Feathers, David; Pavlovic-Veselinovic, Sonja; Hedge, Alan

2013-01-01

Assessing physical ergonomic factors within the classroom environment creates new opportunities to support designs that promote student well-being. Student-aged anthropometric data helps guide proper desk fit assessment, therefore facilitating scholastic performance through the reduction of distractions such as physical discomfort. This study reports dimensions of fit between student anthropometry and the desk environment (classroom seating conditions), for grade-school aged children in Serbia. Measurements of the children and their desks are compared to subjective reports of discomfort. Fifty-seven elementary school students, grade 2 (ages 7-8; n=29) and grade 4 (ages 9-10; n=28), were enrolled in this study. All participants were from the same elementary school in the city of Nis, Serbia. Seventeen anthropometric measurements of students were collected using standard anthropometric instruments. Eight measurements of student work desks and chairs were also collected. Students were evaluated by a physiatrist to assess health issues and completed a novel questionnaire about musculoskeletal discomfort for different body parts. Student fit to the classroom seat and desk was assessed structurally and subjectively. Data analysis included descriptive anthropometric measurements and inferential statistics including Chi square analysis. Results indicated age-related differences in body part discomfort for grade 2 and grade 4 students, arm discomfort reported over 50% of second grade students, and neck/upper back discomfort was reported as the highest of all body parts (32%) for students in the fourth grade. Anthropometric variables and preliminary analysis of fit as it relates to reported discomfort are discussed, as are external factors of backpack use and seated video/computer-game use. International comparisons of anthropometric data are discussed and serve to inform new considerations of ergonomics research for school children.

Using Arts Integration to Make Science Learning Memorable in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Nicholas James; Brouillette, Liane

2016-01-01

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have brought a stronger emphasis on engineering into K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) instruction. Introducing the design process used in engineering into science classrooms simulated a dialogue among some educators about adding the arts to the mix. This led to proposals for…

Reading Development in Upper Elementary Language Minority Readers of Hebrew: The Specific Challenge of Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shahar-Yames, Daphna; Prior, Anat

2017-01-01

We examined reading proficiency, focusing on fluency, in 56 Russian-speaking language minority (LM) students and 56 native Hebrew-speaking (NH) peers. Fifth-grade students completed measures of Hebrew reading accuracy and fluency from word to text level as well as phonological awareness (PA), RAN and vocabulary. LM students read single words less…

Examination of Response to Intervention Based upon Teacher Reading Instructional Knowledge in Teaching Struggling Readers and English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drum, Lora B.

2015-01-01

Knowledge and understanding of foundational reading skills are critical in teaching both beginning readers and students who continue to struggle with reading in upper elementary grade levels. The purpose of this research study was to examine the essential knowledge and aptitude of teachers and the relationship between this knowledge and the…

Multi-Ethnic Contributions to American History. A Supplementary Booklet, Grades 4-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caddo Parish School Board, Shreveport, LA.

This booklet is designed as a teacher guide for supplementary use in the regular social studies program. It lists names and contributions of Americans from all ethnic groups to the development of the United States. Seven units usable at three levels (upper elementary, junior high, and high school) have been developed, with the material arranged in…

Identify Fractions and Decimals on a Number Line

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaughnessy, Meghan M.

2011-01-01

Tasks that ask students to label rational number points on a number line are common not only in curricula in the upper elementary school grades but also on state assessments. Such tasks target foundational rational number concepts: A fraction (or a decimal) is more than a shaded part of an area, a part of a pizza, or a representation using…

Relationships between Computer and Video Game Play and Creativity among Upper Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamlen, Karla R.

2009-01-01

This study explored relationships between time spent playing video games in a typical week and general creativity, as measured by a common assessment. One hundred eighteen students in 4th and 5th grades answered questions about their video game play and completed the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, Orlow, & Safter, 1990). While…

Civic Engagement in the Upper Elementary Grades: An Examination of Parent and Teacher Practices and Children's Civic Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Elizabeth Spalding

2012-01-01

This study examines civic identity (i.e., civic values and responsibility to community and to people) in middle childhood, a previously unexplored developmental period in the civic engagement literature, and how adults and socialization processes in the home and school contexts are associated with children's civic outcomes. Middle childhood is a…

Learning Physical Science through Astronomy Activities: A Comparison between Constructivist and Traditional Approaches in Grades 3-6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, R. Bruce; Sadler, Philip M.; Shapiro, Irwin I.

2008-01-01

We report on an evaluation of the effectiveness of Project ARIES, an astronomy-based physical science curriculum for upper elementary and middle school children. ARIES students use innovative, simple, and affordable apparatus to carry out a wide range of indoor and outdoor hands-on, discovery-based activities. Student journals and comprehensive…

A Longitudinal Study of the Role of Reading Motivation in Primary Students' Reading Comprehension: Implications for a Less Simple View of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cartwright, Kelly B.; Marshall, Timothy R.; Wray, Erica

2016-01-01

Although substantial research indicates motivation contributes significant variance to reading comprehension in upper elementary students, research with students in primary grades has focused, instead, on the relation of motivation to word reading. Assessment of reading motivation in 68 first and second graders indicated word and nonword reading…

Students' Understanding of Cells & Heredity: Patterns of Understanding in the Context of a Curriculum Implementation in Fifth & Seventh Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cisterna, Dante; Williams, Michelle; Merritt, Joi

2013-01-01

This study explores upper-elementary and early-middle-school students' ideas about cells and inheritance and describes patterns of understanding for these topics. Data came from students' responses to embedded assessments included in a technology-enhanced curriculum designed to help students learn about cells and heredity. Our findings suggest…

Shifting Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about Mathematics Teaching: The Contextual Situation of a Mathematics Methods Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jao, Limin

2017-01-01

For pre-service teachers (PSTs) who have been exposed to traditional approaches, teacher education courses can be a revelatory experience in their development as educators. This study explores if Canadian upper elementary/lower secondary (grades 4-10) PSTs change their beliefs about mathematics teaching as a result of taking a mathematics methods…

Practical Issues in Field Based Testing of Oral Reading Fluency at Upper Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duesbery, Luke; Braun-Monegan, Jenelle; Werblow, Jacob; Braun, Drew

2012-01-01

In this series of studies, we explore the ideal frequency, duration, and relative effectiveness of measuring oral reading fluency. In study one, a sample of 389 fifth graders read out loud for 1 min and then took a traditional state-level standardized reading test. Results suggest administering three passages and using the median yields the…

Helping Elementary English as a Second Language Students To Become Independent Learners by Improving Their Reading Strategies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaminsky, Debra E.

This practicum was designed to address the need for the intermediate and upper grade level English as a Second Language (ESL) students to become independent learners in the literacy process. The subjects, 13 boys and 3 girls from Pakistan, Philippines, Jordan, Israel, Korea, Turkey, and Thailand were dependent on the teacher when they had…

Error Rates in Measuring Teacher and School Performance Based on Student Test Score Gains. NCEE 2010-4004

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schochet, Peter Z.; Chiang, Hanley S.

2010-01-01

This paper addresses likely error rates for measuring teacher and school performance in the upper elementary grades using value-added models applied to student test score gain data. Using realistic performance measurement system schemes based on hypothesis testing, we develop error rate formulas based on OLS and Empirical Bayes estimators.…

"An Adjective Is a Word Hanging down from a Noun": Learning to Write and Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Karen R.; Graham, Steve

2013-01-01

By the upper elementary grades, writing becomes an essential tool both for learning and for showing what you know. Students who struggle significantly with writing are at a terrible disadvantage. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that only 25% of students can be classified as competent writers; students with…

Improving Reading and Language Arts Skills of At-Risk First Graders through Direct Instruction of Print Awareness, Phoneme Awareness, and Phonological Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bump, Sandra K.; Swedberg, Trina L.; Yates, Carol R.

This report describes a program to improve reading and language arts skills. The targeted population consisted of students in 2 first grade classrooms (average class size 25) from a midwestern elementary school in a predominantly white, middle to upper-middle class neighborhood. Data documenting the problem was obtained from the previous year's…

Volcanology: Self-Directed Study Units for Grades K-3 and 4-8, Gifted. Easily Adapted for Regular Classroom Use. Zephyr Learning Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rassmusen, Bonnie

Originally designed for gifted students, these reproducible volcanology units emphasize the use of higher order thinking skills and are appropriate for use in any classroom. Interdisciplinary in content, the units provide a broad view of volcanology. Included are two complete units, one created for the upper elementary gifted student and the other…

Assessing Music Students' Motivation Using the Music Model of Academic Motivation Inventory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkes, Kelly A.; Jones, Brett D.; Wilkins, Jesse L. M.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of using a motivation inventory with music students in upper-elementary, middle, and high school. We used the middle/high school version of the MUSIC Model of Academic Motivation Inventory to survey 93 students in the 5th to 12th grades in one school. Our analysis revealed…

Two Energy Gulfs, Grades 6-7. Interdisciplinary Student/Teacher Materials in Energy, the Environment, and the Economy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lendsey, Jacqueline L.; And Others

This text, which focuses on coastal oil production, the countries and the people involved, is designed for use in upper elementary science, social studies, or math courses concerned with energy-related topics. The first half of the text is the Teacher's Guide. It presents an overview of the main ideas for each lesson, strategies for…

Magnets and Electricity. Seychelles Integrated Science [Teacher and Pupil Booklets]. Unit 8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, M.; Fryars, M.

Seychelles Integrated Science (SIS), a 3-year laboratory-based science program for students (ages 11-15) in upper primary grades 7, 8, and 9, was developed from an extensive evaluation and modification of previous P7-P9 materials. This P8 SIS unit focuses on: (1) elementary concepts in magnetic theory and the role magnets and magnetism play in…

Different Living Things. Seychelles Integrated Science. [Teacher and Pupil Booklets.] Unit 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brophy, M.; Fryars, M.

Seychelles Integrated Science (SIS), a 3-year laboratory-based science program for students (ages 11-15) in upper primary grades 7, 8, and 9, was developed from an extensive evaluation and modification of previous P7-P9 materials. This P7 SIS unit is designed to: (1) help students develop an elementary understanding of how living things can be…

Three-Year Study of Students' Attitudes Toward Physical Education: Grades 4-8.

PubMed

Mercier, Kevin; Donovan, Corinne; Gibbone, Anne; Rozga, Kimberly

2017-09-01

A relationship exists between attitudes toward physical education and future physical activity. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in attitude toward physical education as students progressed from upper elementary school (Grade 4) through middle school (Grade 8). Three cohorts of students (Cohort 1, Grades 4-6, n = 96; Cohort 2, Grades 5-7, n = 71; and Cohort 3, Grades 6-8, n = 73) were each followed for 3 years to examine changes in attitudes toward physical education. After an initial increase from Grade 4 to Grade 5, a significant decrease was observed from Grades 5 to 8 in students' positive attitudes toward physical education, with a faster rate of change for girls than boys. This longitudinal study provides further insights regarding the attitudes of students as they progress from Grade 4 to Grade 8 and expands on previous findings identifying decreasing positive attitudes toward physical education as students age, particularly for girls. The results provide evidence to support targeted interventions.

Marine Biology: Self-Directed Study Units for Grades K-3 and 4-8, Gifted. Easily Adapted for Regular Classroom Use. Zephyr Learning Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tanner, Joey

Originally designed for the gifted student, these reproducible marine biology units emphasize the use of higher order thinking skills and are appropriate for use in any classroom. Interdisciplinary in content, the units provide a broad view of marine biology. Included are two complete units, one created for the upper elementary gifted student and…

Predicting academic self-handicapping in different age groups: the role of personal achievement goals and social goals.

PubMed

Leondari, Angeliki; Gonida, Eleftheria

2007-09-01

Academic self-handicapping refers to the use of impediments to successful performance on academic tasks. Previous studies have shown that it is related to personal achievement goals. A performance goal orientation is a positive predictor of self-handicapping, whereas a task goal orientation is unrelated to self-handicapping. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between academic self-handicapping, goal orientations (task, performance-approach, performance-avoidance), social goals, future consequences and achievement in mathematics. An additional aim was to investigate grade-level and gender differences in relation to academic self-handicapping. Participants were 702 upper elementary, junior and senior high school students with approximately equal numbers of girls and boys. There were no grade-level or gender differences as regards the use of self-handicapping. The correlations among the variables revealed that, when the whole sample was considered, self-handicapping was positively related to performance goal orientations and pleasing significant others and negatively to achievement in mathematics. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that, in upper elementary and junior high schools, the association between achievement in mathematics and self-handicapping was mediated by performance-avoidance goals. In senior high school, only task goal orientation was a negative predictor of self-handicapping.

The perceived impact of No Child Left Behind on third- through fifth-grade elementary science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinsler, Angela V.

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived impact of No Child Left Behind on elementary science classrooms in 3 Northeast Tennessee school districts. Quantitative descriptive methodology was used to document how No Child Left Behind impacts instructional methodology, professional development, administrative support, materials and resources, and assessment in 3rd through 5th grades. Data were collected using a survey developed by the researcher. The survey consisted of a demographic section, 28 statements, and 2 open-ended questions. The 51 participants included elementary-school science teachers in 8 schools in 3 upper East Tennessee school districts. Data analysis was based on the following demographics: differing levels of teaching experience, No Child Left Behind school status, and small and large schools. Findings included: The 3 greatest concerns of the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act were the pressures felt by teachers to increase test scores, the manner in which it impacted at-risk or disadvantaged students, and the lack of inservice, specifically for science. Findings also revealed that low-scoring schools or grades were receiving extra assistance and teachers reported they feel that their school or district fosters and supports change. An analysis of the open-ended questions emphasized the stress teachers reported feeling along with the loss of science instruction time to math and language arts.

Impact of Integrated Science and English Language Arts Literacy Supplemental Instructional Intervention on Science Academic Achievement of Elementary Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marks, Jamar Terry

The purpose of this quasi-experimental, nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design study was to determine if any differences existed in upper elementary school students' science academic achievement when instructed using an 8-week integrated science and English language arts literacy supplemental instructional intervention in conjunction with traditional science classroom instruction as compared to when instructed using solely traditional science classroom instruction. The targeted sample population consisted of fourth-grade students enrolled in a public elementary school located in the southeastern region of the United States. The convenience sample size consisted of 115 fourth-grade students enrolled in science classes. The pretest and posttest academic achievement data collected consisted of the science segment from the Spring 2015, and Spring 2016 state standardized assessments. Pretest and posttest academic achievement data were analyzed using an ANCOVA statistical procedure to test for differences, and the researcher reported the results of the statistical analysis. The results of the study show no significant difference in science academic achievement between treatment and control groups. An interpretation of the results and recommendations for future research were provided by the researcher upon completion of the statistical analysis.

Upper Elementary Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Spelling Instruction: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandes, Brian E.

2017-01-01

A great deal of research has been conducted regarding spelling instruction at the early childhood and lower elementary levels, but not at the upper elementary level. This qualitative study explored the perceptions and experiences of upper elementary teachers to gain a better understanding of how they instruct spelling and their related…

Investigating Elementary School Students' Perceptions about Environment through Their Drawings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozsoy, Sibel

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine elementary school students' perceptions about environment through their drawings. The study was carried out during the spring semester of 2010-2011 academic year. A total of 429 elementary school students, including 68 fourth grade, 78 fifth grade, 97 sixth grade, 85 seventh grade, 101 eighth grade,…

Main Streets of the Nation: A Series of Projects on Highway Transport for Elementary Schools. Bulletin, 1923, No. 38

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Florence C.

1923-01-01

The highway is close to every child's experience and plays an important part in the activities of his life. The influence of the street is second only to that of the home. The highway project holds, for that reason, an absorbing interest of children in the middle and upper grades. It presents a wide range of subject matter and an opportunity for…

The school nutrition program's role in weight management of 4th grade elementary students

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We are attempting to uncover the school nutrition program's role in weight management of 4th grade elementary students. Data was collected within a time frame for the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) set at two months at the WT Cheney Elementary School and South Wood Elementary for 4th grade stud...

Motivation: The Value of Developing Intrinsic Motivation in Elementary School Students in Grades Four through Six

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerstner, Gary M.

2017-01-01

This study sought to fill the gap in the literature concerning intrinsic motivation in elementary students in Grades 4-6 by examining 155 elementary school students and in-depth interviews with three elementary grade teachers. This study used data collected from the self-report survey called the Children's Academic Intrinsic Motivation Inventory…

The Purdue Elementary Problem-Solving Inventory (PEPSI), Grade Level, and Socioeconomic Status: A Preliminary Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, David W.

1985-01-01

The effects of grade level and socioeconomic status upon Purdue Elementary Problem-Solving Inventory (PEPSI) scores were investigated with 123 elementary students. It was concluded that the PEPSI is usable with most grade two through grade six pupils at both lower and middle socioeconomic levels, and has potential utility in teaching…

Enhancing Literacy Instruction for Grade Level Readers in the Early Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Marie

2010-01-01

Local school districts are under pressure to have elementary reading teachers understand how phonics, during teacher-led small group literacy instruction, can help students who read below grade level. Elementary teachers need research-based strategies regarding which reading instructions of letter-sound components are necessary to help students…

[Factors that influence sexual intercourse among middle school students: using data from the 8th (2012) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey].

PubMed

Gwon, Seok Hyun; Lee, Chung Yul

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate factors that influence sexual intercourse among middle school students in South Korea. Using statistics from the 8th (2012) Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted. The study sample comprised 37,297 middle school students aged primarily 12 to 15. The significant predictors of sexual intercourse were grade, ever smoking, ever drinking, habitual or purposeful drug use, economic status, weekly allowance, cohabitation with family, and type of school. The results suggest that intensified sex education is needed not only in the 1st grade of middle school, but also in the upper grades of elementary school. Sexual health interventions for high-risk groups may be needed, given the factors predicting sexual intercourse.

Examining Predictive Validity of Oral Reading Fluency Slope in Upper Elementary Grades Using Quantile Regression.

PubMed

Cho, Eunsoo; Capin, Philip; Roberts, Greg; Vaughn, Sharon

2017-07-01

Within multitiered instructional delivery models, progress monitoring is a key mechanism for determining whether a child demonstrates an adequate response to instruction. One measure commonly used to monitor the reading progress of students is oral reading fluency (ORF). This study examined the extent to which ORF slope predicts reading comprehension outcomes for fifth-grade struggling readers ( n = 102) participating in an intensive reading intervention. Quantile regression models showed that ORF slope significantly predicted performance on a sentence-level fluency and comprehension assessment, regardless of the students' reading skills, controlling for initial ORF performance. However, ORF slope was differentially predictive of a passage-level comprehension assessment based on students' reading skills when controlling for initial ORF status. Results showed that ORF explained unique variance for struggling readers whose posttest performance was at the upper quantiles at the end of the reading intervention, but slope was not a significant predictor of passage-level comprehension for students whose reading problems were the most difficult to remediate.

Student-teacher relationship quality and academic adjustment in upper elementary school: the role of student personality.

PubMed

Zee, Marjolein; Koomen, Helma M Y; Van der Veen, Ineke

2013-08-01

This study tested a theoretical model considering students' personality traits as predictors of student-teacher relationship quality (closeness, conflict, and dependency), the effects of student-teacher relationship quality on students' math and reading achievement, and the mediating role of students' motivational beliefs on the association between student-teacher relationship quality and achievement in upper elementary school. Surveys and tests were conducted among a nationally representative Dutch sample of 8545 sixth-grade students and their teachers in 395 schools. Structural equation models were used to test direct and indirect effects. Support was found for a model that identified conscientiousness and agreeableness as predictors of close, nonconflictual relationships, and neuroticism as a predictor of dependent and conflictual relationships. Extraversion was associated with higher levels of closeness and conflict, and autonomy was only associated with lower levels of dependency. Students' motivational beliefs mediated the effects of dependency and student-reported closeness on reading and math achievement. Copyright © 2013 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Importance of Social Skills in the Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meier, Catherine R.; DiPerna, James C.; Oster, Maryjo M.

2006-01-01

This study explored elementary teachers' perceptions of the importance of social skills, as well as the stability of these perceptions over time. Importance ratings on the Social Skills Rating System (SSRS; Gresham & Elliott, 1990) were obtained from 50 elementary teachers (Grades 1-6) across six elementary schools. Results indicated that…

The Early Elementary Attendance Project. Final Report on First Two Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frank, Marilyn; MacPherson, Douglas

The purpose of the Early Elementary Attendance Project was to improve school attendance in the early grades (kindergarten and first grade) in order to develop good attendance habits that would continue through the post elementary grades. A home/school worker approached families of students (N=77) with poor attendance records with a helping…

Key Findings. 5th Grade. Fall 2004. Sample Report Elementary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

WestED (NJ3), 2004

2004-01-01

This document is a sample framework for elementary school reports. The framework is for an elementary school district that administered the Elementary School California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) in Fall 2004 to fifth-grade students. The CHKS is a comprehensive youth health-risk and resilience data collection service, sponsored by the California…

Fifth-Grade Turkish Elementary School Students' Listening and Reading Comprehension Levels with Regard to Text Types

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Kasim; Yildiz, Mustafa; Ates, Seyit; Rasinski, Timothy

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine fifth grade elementary school students' listening and reading comprehension levels with regard to text types. This study was conducted on 180 fifth grade elementary school students in Sincan-Ankara in the spring semester of the academic year 2008-2009. The comprehension test was administered to students. The…

The Effectiveness of Scaffolding Interactive Activities in Developing the English Listening Comprehension Skills of the Sixth Grade Elementary Schoolgirls in Jeddah

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Yami, Salwa Ahmed

2008-01-01

The present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of scaffolding interactive activities in developing the English listening comprehension skills of sixth grade elementary schoolgirls in Jeddah. The subjects in this study were 50 sixth grade pupils at an elementary school in Jeddah. They were assigned to two groups--control and…

Practice of Field learning and its effect by using Hiikawa river distributed over Shimane prefecture, southwest Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomoyuki, U.; Matsumoto, I.

2013-12-01

The importance of field learning about geological feature has been increasing from a elementary to a undergraduate (university) student. Especially the field learning for elementary and junior high school student is important in it. However, the implementation rate of the field learning in an elementary and a junior high school is a low very much. The trend for a school with such a situation nearer to a large city to be stronger is recognized. They learn the erosion, transportation, and sedimentation by river water as science unite of grade 5 "Function of running water" of elementary school in Japan. As for Hii river, the granitoids is widely distributed over most of the basin from the upper stream to the down stream. Therefore, the most is the granitoids origin and we can look upon the clastic grains observed to the river floor and bank as a series of rocks and minerals from the upper stream to the lower stream. That is, since a student can make observation learning of the function of a river through grain size change of a granitoids and the mineral which constitutes it, Hii river is very good teaching material in this unit. Moreover, in this study, we carried out the questionnaire of the free description format including the general impression against a this field learning. The result of these questionnaires showed that student not only having studying the function of running water 'weathering', 'transportation' and 'sedimentation' with actual feelings, but also the actions of the river having spent tremendous time and having studied dominating the Space.

Results of a Survey about Homework and Homework Hotlines for Elementary School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Bulwant

Reported are responses of fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students, their parents and teachers to a survey conducted to determine the need for a homework hotline. Discussion is based on data from 379 randomly selected parents of students in intermediate elementary grades of 21 elementary schools, 333 elementary school teachers, and 392 randomly…

Beyond Minimum Technology Requirements: Course Characteristics for the Instructional Design of Virtual Programs at the Elementary Grade Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vytlacil, Kerrie A.

2013-01-01

With virtual public school initiatives in each of the 50 states, there is an impetus to develop and implement online programs for the elementary grades (Cavanaugh, 2004, pp. 262-266; Oliver et al., p. 56). Yet, learner usability characteristics for successful online schooling for the elementary grades are unknown and/or unspecified. The purpose of…

[Developmental changes in reading ability of Japanese elementary school children--analysis of 4 kana reading tasks].

PubMed

Kobayashi, Tomoka; Inagaki, Masumi; Gunji, Atsuko; Yatabe, Kiyomi; Kaga, Makiko; Goto, Takaaki; Koike, Toshihide; Wakamiya, Eiji; Koeda, Tatsuya

2010-01-01

Five hundred and twenty-eight Japanese elementary school children aged from 6 (Grade 1) to 12 (Grade 6) were tested for their abilities to read Hiragana characters, words, and short sentences. They were typically developing children whom the classroom teachers judged to have no problems with reading and writing in Japanese. Each child was asked to read four tasks which were written in Hiragana script: single mora reading task, four syllable non-word reading task, four syllable word reading task, and short sentence reading task. The total articulation time for reading and performance in terms of accuracy were measured for each task. Developmental changes in these variables were evaluated. The articulation time was significantly longer for the first graders, and it gradually shortened as they moved through to the upper grades in all tasks. The articulation time reached a plateau in the 4th grade for the four syllable word and short sentence reading tasks, while it did so for the single mora and four syllable non-word reading tasks in the 5th grade. The articulation times for the four syllable word and short sentence reading tasks correlated strongly. There were very few clear errors for all tasks, and the number of such errors significantly changed between the school grades only for the single mora and four syllable word reading tasks. It was noted that more than half of the children read the beginning portion of the word or phrase twice or more, in order to read it accurately, and developmental changes were also seen in this pattern of reading. This study revealed that the combination of these reading tasks may function as a screening test for reading disorders such as developmental dyslexia in children below the age of ten or eleven years old.

Elementary School Students' Perceptions of the Future Environment through Artwork

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özsoy, Sibel; Ahi, Berat

2014-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to investigate first level of elementary school students' perceptions of the future state of the environment through the pictures they draw. The participants of the study are 131 first-grade students, 127 second-grade students, 160 third-grade students, 188 fourth-grade students, and 222 fifth-grade students,…

STEM Is Elementary: Challenges Faced by Elementary Teachers in the Era of the Next Generation Science Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Isabelle, Aaron D.

2017-01-01

For students to achieve the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by Grade 12, thinking and acting like scientists and engineers must begin in the elementary grades. However, elementary teachers may find this challenging -because language arts and mathematics still dominate many classrooms--often at the expense of science. This…

How Do Elementary Students in Turkey and the Czech Republic Perceive the Game Concept? A Phenomenographic Study with Draw and Write Technique

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinar Karacan Dogan; Tingaz, Emre Ozan; Hazar, Muhsin; Zvonar, Martin

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study is to compare the perception concerning game concept of 4th grade students in Turkey and the Czech Republic. 19 fourth grade elementary students in the Czech Republic and 40 fourth grade elementary students in Turkey were selected by criterion and convenience sampling. They responded to a specific question "What is…

Modeling the Relationships between Cognitive-Linguistic Skills and Writing in Chinese among Elementary Grades Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeung, Pui-sze; Ho, Connie Suk-han; Chan, David Wai-ock; Chung, Kevin Kien-hoa

2013-01-01

The present study is a four-year longitudinal study examining the important predictors of writing of 340 Chinese children in elementary grades. Children's transcription skills (handwriting skills and spelling), and syntactic skills in grade 1 were significant predictors of text writing in grade 1-4 while ideation in grade 1 only contributed to…

Enhancing Teacher Performance in Spanish Elementary Classes. Volume Two: Translated Units. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johansen, Barry-Craig P.; And Others

Spanish translations of 19 of the Minneapolis (Minnesota) Public Schools' elementary school science units are presented. The materials were translated for use in a partial immersion program. Unit topics include, among others: magnets, organisms (grade 1), seeds and plants (grade 1), butterflies (grade 2), electricity (grade 3), the food chain…

Using food as a tool to teach science to 3 grade students in Appalachian Ohio.

PubMed

Duffrin, Melani W; Hovland, Jana; Carraway-Stage, Virginia; McLeod, Sara; Duffrin, Christopher; Phillips, Sharon; Rivera, David; Saum, Diana; Johanson, George; Graham, Annette; Lee, Tammy; Bosse, Michael; Berryman, Darlene

2010-04-01

The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. In 2007-2008, a foods curriculum developed by professionals in nutrition and education was implemented in 10 3(rd)-grade classrooms in Appalachian Ohio; teachers in these classrooms implemented 45 hands-on foods activities that covered 10 food topics. Subjects included measurement; food safety; vegetables; fruits; milk and cheese; meat, poultry, and fish; eggs; fats; grains; and meal management. Students in four other classrooms served as the control group. Mainstream 3(rd)-grade students were targeted because of their receptiveness to the subject matter, science standards for upper elementary grades, and testing that the students would undergo in 4(th) grade. Teachers and students alike reported that the hands-on FoodMASTER curriculum experience was worthwhile and enjoyable. Our initial classroom observation indicated that the majority of students, girls and boys included, were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations.

An Analysis of the Learning Activities Covered in the 5th Grade Science Textbooks Based on 2005 and 2013 Turkish Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil; Idin, Sahin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the learning activities covered in 5th grade elementary science textbooks which depend on 2005 and 2013 elementary science curricula. Two elementary science textbooks depends on 2005 science curriculum and two elementary science textbooks depend on 2013 science curriculum were researched. The study is a…

An Analysis of the Learning Activities Covered in the 5th Grade Science Textbooks Based on 2005 and 2013 Turkish Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil; Idin, Sahin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the learning activities covered in 5th grade elementary science textbooks which depend on 2005 and 2013 elementary science curricula. Two elementary science textbooks [which] depend on 2005 science curriculum and two elementary science textbooks [which] depend on 2013 science curriculum were researched. The…

Books on Renewable Energy for Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conservation and Renewable Energy Inquiry and Referral Service (DOE), Silver Spring, MD.

Presented is a list of 20 books on renewable energy resources. These books are suitable for children in the elementary grades. Each entry includes the title, author(s) or editor(s), number of pages, price, publication date, recommended grade level(s), and source. (JN)

The Effectiveness of "Pencasts" in Physics Courses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weliweriya, Nandana; Sayre, Eleanor C.; Zollman, Dean A.

2018-03-01

Pencasts are videos of problem solving with narration by the problem solver. Pedagogically, students can create pencasts to illustrate their own problem solving to the instructor or to their peers. Pencasts have implications for teaching at multiple levels from elementary grades through university courses. In this article, we describe the use of pencasts in a university-level upper-division electromagnetic fields course usually taken by junior and senior physics majors. For each homework assignment, students created and submitted pencasts of ordinary problems several days before the problem set was due. We compare students' performance in the class (grades for pencast submission excluded) with the pencast submission rate. Students who submitted more pencasts tend to do better in the course. We conclude with some practical suggestions for implementing pencasts in other courses.

Math grades and intrinsic motivation in elementary school: A longitudinal investigation of their association.

PubMed

Weidinger, Anne F; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Spinath, Birgit

2017-06-01

It is often argued that the negative development of intrinsic motivation in elementary school strongly depends on the presence of school grades because grades represent extrinsic consequences and achievement feedback that are supposed to influence intrinsically motivated behaviour. However, only a few studies have tested this hypothesis. Therefore, we investigated the role of school grades in inter- and intra-individual changes in elementary school students' intrinsic motivation from when grades were first introduced until the end of elementary school, when students in Germany receive recommendations for a secondary school type on the basis of their prior performance in school. A sample of 542 German elementary school students (t 1 : M = 7.95 years, SD = 0.57) was followed for 2 years from the end of Grade 2 to the end of Grade 4. At seven measurement occasions, children's math grades and their domain-specific intrinsic motivation were assessed. Latent growth curve models showed differences in trajectories of intrinsic motivation across students rather than uniform development. Moreover, students' trajectories of grades and intrinsic motivation were only weakly associated. A latent cross-lagged model revealed that reciprocal effects between the two constructs over time were small at best. Contrary to theoretical considerations, our results indicate that negative performance feedback in the form of grades does not necessarily lead to a decrease in intrinsic motivation. This calls into question the common opinion that a perception of being less competent, as reflected by poor grades, is responsible for weakening students' intrinsic motivation. © 2017 The British Psychological Society.

Increasing Oral Reading Fluency of below Grade-Level Elementary Students through Parent Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Royal, Louise I.

2012-01-01

An increasing number of elementary students in a rural school were promoted to a higher grade without having grade-level reading fluency skills, thereby becoming at risk of not reaching or maintaining their academic grade level reading skills. The purpose of this ex post facto quantitative study involving archival data analysis was to investigate…

Effect of the SQ4R Technique on the Reading Comprehension of Elementary School 4th Grade Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basar, Murat; Gürbüz, Mehmet

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of SQ4R (Survey, Question, Read, Reflect, Recite, Review) technique of the reading comprehension ability of elementary school 4th grade students. The sampling was constituted by 57 students from two different branches of the Ataturk Elementary School in the center of Usak region during the 2nd…

Changes in Body Mass Index During a 3-Year Elementary School-Based Obesity Prevention Program for American Indian and White Rural Students.

PubMed

Vogeltanz-Holm, Nancy; Holm, Jeffrey

2018-04-01

Childhood obesity is a significant but largely modifiable health risk, disproportionately affecting socioeconomically disadvantaged, racial/ethnic minority, and rural children. Elementary school-aged children typically experience the greatest increases in excess weight gain and therefore are important targets for reducing adolescent and adult obesity while improving children's health. Our study evaluated outcomes of a 3-year elementary school-based program for reducing obesity in American Indian and White students attending eight rural schools in the U.S. upper Midwest. Researchers measured body mass indexes (BMI) and other health indicators and behaviors of 308 beginning third-grade students and then again at the end of students' third, fourth, and fifth grades. The primary focus of this study is a mixed multilevel longitudinal model testing changes in age- and gender-adjusted BMI z scores ( zBMI). There was a significant decrease in zBMI across the 3-year study period. Ethnicity analyses showed that White students had overall decreases in zBMI whereas American Indian students' zBMIs remained stable across the program. Comparisons with children from an age- and cohort-matched national sample provided support for the effectiveness of the school program in reducing BMI and obesity during the study period. An elementary school-based health program that addresses a range of students' obesity-related health behaviors, the school health environment, and that involves educators and parents is an effective intervention for reducing or stabilizing BMI in rural White and American Indian students. School health programs for students living in rural communities may be especially effective due to greater school and community cohesiveness, and valuing of the school's primary role in improving community health.

Examining LGBTQ-Based Literature Intended for Primary and Intermediate Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bickford, John H., III

2018-01-01

This content analysis research examined how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and issues are represented in elementary-level trade books. The data pool included every LGBTQ-based trade book with intended audiences of primary (grades K-2) and intermediate (grades 3-5) elementary students. Trade books…

Safety Action; Traffic and Pedestrian Safety. A Guide for Teachers in the Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC.

GRADES OR AGES: Elementary, grades 1-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Safety action, traffic and pedestrian safety. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: After introductory material explaining the philosophy of the guide, the elementary school child, characteristics of children as related to safety, and the responsibility of the safety team, the guide has…

Cooperation in Japan. Grades Kindergarten-Third. Elementary Literature Series, Part 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mukai, Gary

The Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) represents a long-term effort by Stanford University to improve international and cross-cultural education in elementary and secondary schools. This volume of the elementary literature series focuses on the primary grades; utilizes primary source literature from Japan;…

Exploring the Effects of Concreteness Fading across Grades in Elementary School Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaakkola, Tomi; Veermans, Koen

2018-01-01

The present study investigates the effects that concreteness fading has on learning and transfer across three grade levels (4-6) in elementary school science education in comparison to learning with constantly concrete representations. 127 9- to 12-years-old elementary school students studied electric circuits in a computer-based simulation…

Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District. Educational Specifications: Dry Creek Elementary School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District, Roseville, CA.

An Educational Specification Committee was convened to determine the design specifications required for a new K-5 (and temporarily 6-8 grade) elementary school in Roseville, California's Dry Creek District. This report, the result of the committee's efforts, examines school room specifications for each grade level and administrative area.…

Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Elementary Grade Schools in Bangkok, Thailand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saifah, Yotsawee

2012-01-01

The purposes of this study were (a) to examine early elementary grade teachers' developmentally appropriate beliefs and their teaching practices in public schools in Bangkok, (b) to explore the functioning of developmentally appropriate practice in the two chosen early elementary schools, and (c) to determine the factors that influence the…

Are Boys That Bad? Gender Gaps in Measured Skills, Grades and Aspirations in Czech Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mateju, Petr; Smith, Michael L.

2015-01-01

This article examines gender gaps in academic performance (grades in mathematics and reading) between boys and girls of ninth-grade elementary schools in the Czech Republic. Our analysis is based on 2003 data from the Programme for International Student Assessment, encompassing the academic performance and family background of ninth-grade pupils.…

Fifth Grade Elementary Students' Conceptions of Earthquakes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savasci, Funda; Uluduz, Hatice

2013-01-01

This study intends to investigate the fifth grade students' conceptions of earthquakes. Twenty two grade 5 students (11-12 years old) from five different elementary schools in Istanbul voluntarily participated in the study. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with each participant. Six interview questions were designed by…

Effective educational practice of river learning by using of Hiikawa-river of elementary school, Shimane prefecture, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomoyuki, U.; Matsumoto, I.

2012-12-01

The importance of field learning has been increasing at elementary school and junior high school in Japan. However, In Japan, it is little actual situation that there is in an opportunity for the field learning enforced in the school science lesson. This tendency is strong as much as school of the city and that circumference. I think that this cause is that there are few suitable places for educational tool to observe geological field near the school. Children learn about "Function of running water" in Grade 5 of elementary school in Japan. Therefore, In this study, We remark the river called "Hiikawa-river" which flow in Izumo city, Shimane prefecture as the science teaching materials. Hiikawa is the river which flowing through the granitic rock district. Therefore We can observe granitic rock from in the upper stream, midstream, to the down stream. That is, we can observe the function of running water and diameter (size) of granitic boulders. It is mean that Hiikawa is the one of good educational tool for Children to learn the function of running water. Though it is the place where nature is comparatively rich even in Japan, it can't be said that field learning is relatively popular in Shimane prefecture. I think that teacher has to learning experience at field, because teacher should settle confidence to guide to the student at the field. That is, if it is not, you can not teach children with truly important of curriculum view point of natural and field science. In this research, we introduce practice of geological field learning at the public elementary school of the Shimane prefecture by using of Hiikawa as educational tool which children learn about the function of running water in grade 5, elementary school. In addition, we hope that this study contribute to teachers teaching method and to children natural science literacy.

Energy and Economics for the Elementary Grades. Unit I (Grades K-6). Lessons and Activities for the Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Backler, Alan

Six lessons for students in grades K-3 and six lessons for students in grades 4-6 are presented. These lessons are designed to help students become more aware of the energy choices that they must make in the present and for the future and to understand that the costs of maintaining a specific standard of living and thriving national economy can be…

Elementary Art Constructions: A Supplement to the Elementary Art Guide 1968.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundman, Donald; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Elementary Art--Constructions. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: After a brief introduction and a scope and sequence chart, the guide is divided into seven sections, one for each grade covered, and these sections contain details for between three and nine projects, including the making of cheese boards,…

Elementary Students' Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Science: Role of Grade Level, Gender, and Socio-Economic Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karaarslan, Guliz; Sungur, Semra

2011-01-01

This study examined grade level and gender difference with respect to elementary students' science and technology self-efficacy. Additionally, relationship between socio-economic status (SES) and self-efficacy was examined. A total of 145 elementary students participated in the study. Self efficacy towards Science and Technology Scale was used to…

Development and Validation of Nature of Science Instrument for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hacieminoglu, Esme; Yilmaz-Tüzün, Özgül; Ertepinar, Hamide

2014-01-01

The purposes of this study were to develop and validate an instrument for assessing elementary students' nature of science (NOS) views and to explain the elementary school students' NOS views, in terms of varying grade levels and gender. The sample included 782 students enrolled in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. Exploratory factor analysis…

A Study of Reading First Implementation and Literacy Performance of Students in Kindergarten through Fifth Grade in Lancaster School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowers, Michele Marie

2011-01-01

This study examined elementary student literacy performance in Lancaster School District in kindergarten through 5th grades for 6 elementary schools implementing the Reading First program and 6 elementary schools not implementing Reading First. Subgroup data for English Language Learners, Hispanic, and African American students was closely…

An Evaluation of the Teaching Activities Implemented in the Elementary Science and Technology Courses in Terms of Multiple Intelligence Theory: A Sample from Adana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iflazoglu Saban, Ayten

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate to what extent class activities at the Elementary Science and Technology course address intelligence areas. The research was both a quantitative and a qualitative study. The sample of the study consisted of 102 4th grade elementary teachers, 97 5th grade elementary teachers, and 55 6th, 7th, and 8th grade…

Setting the Foundation: A Report on Elementary Grades Reading in Tennessee. Appendix

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tennessee Department of Education, 2016

2016-01-01

"Setting the Foundation: A Report on Elementary Grades Reading in Tennessee" (ED572952) provides insight into the challenges associated with early grades reading in Tennessee, along with a set of recommendations for building more readers across the state. This appendix provides detailed information about reading programs in Tennessee…

Elementary Science Guide -- 6th Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieland, Anne; And Others

Presented is a resource book to be used with instructional kits for elementary school science students, grade 6. The individual units at this grade level are based on curriculum which has been developed by the National Science Foundation in the 1960s and revised to meet student and teacher identified needs in Anchorage, Alaska. Six units are…

Art. Elementary Teacher Resource, 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

Designed to accompany the "Elementary Art Curriculum Guide," this resource is divided into 3 levels: level 1 grades 1-2, level 2 grades 3-4, and level 3 grades 5-6. The material is presented in a standardized format which includes four major components: reflection, depiction, composition, and expression. Once a concept has been chosen,…

Elementary School Economics: A Guide for Teachers (Revised).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia State Dept. of Education, Richmond.

GRADES OR AGES: Grades K-7. SUBJECT MATTER: Elementary school economics. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide has a preliminary chapter on economic understandings and a chapter for each grade. Each chapter has eight subdivisions: 1) natural resources, 2) human resources; 3) production of goods and services, 4) distribution of goods and…

The Conceptual Complexity of Vocabulary in Elementary-Grades Core Science Program Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, W. Jill; Elmore, Jeff; Kung, Melody; Stenner, A. Jackson

2017-01-01

The researchers explored the conceptual complexity of vocabulary in contemporary elementary-grades core science program textbooks to address two research questions: (1) Can a progression of concepts' complexity level be described across grades? (2) Was there gradual developmental growth of the most complex concepts' networks of associated concepts…

Elementary Science Guide -- 1st Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wieland, Anne; And Others

Presented is a resource book to be used with instructional kits for elementary school science students, grade 1. The individual units at this grade level are based on curriculum which has been developed by the National Science Foundation in the 1960s and revised to meet student and teacher identified needs in Anchorage, Alaska. Four units are…

Math Grades and Intrinsic Motivation in Elementary School: A Longitudinal Investigation of Their Association

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weidinger, Anne F.; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Spinath, Birgit

2017-01-01

Background: It is often argued that the negative development of intrinsic motivation in elementary school strongly depends on the presence of school grades because grades represent extrinsic consequences and achievement feedback that are supposed to influence intrinsically motivated behaviour. However, only a few studies have tested this…

Newspapers in Science Education: A Study Involving Sixth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ching-San; Wang, Yun-Fei

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the learning performance of sixth grade elementary school students using newspapers in science teaching. A quasi-experimental design with a single group was used in this study. Thirty-three sixth grade elementary school students participated in this study. The research instruments consisted of three…

Classwide Efficacy of INSIGHTS: Observed Teacher Practices and Student Behaviors in Kindergarten and First Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cappella, Elise; O'Connor, Erin E.; McCormick, Meghan P.; Turbeville, Ashley R.; Collins, Ashleigh J.; McClowry, Sandee G.

2015-01-01

We investigate the classwide efficacy of INSIGHTS, a universal social-emotional learning intervention for early elementary grades, on observed teacher practices and student behaviors. Twenty-two elementary schools (87% free/reduced lunch) were randomly assigned to INSIGHTS or an attention-control condition. Kindergarten and first-grade classrooms…

Trajectories of Math and Reading Achievement in Low Achieving Children in Elementary School: Effects of Early and Later Retention in Grade

PubMed Central

Moser, Stephanie E.; West, Stephen G.; Hughes, Jan N.

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effects of retention or promotion in first grade on growth trajectories in mathematics and reading achievement over the elementary school years (grades 1–5). From a large multiethnic sample (n = 784) of children who were below the median in literacy at school entrance, 363 children who were either promoted (n = 251) or retained (n = 112) in first grade could be successfully matched on 72 background variables. Achievement was measured annually using Woodcock-Johnson W scores; scores of retained children were shifted back one year to permit same-grade comparisons. Using longitudinal growth curve analysis, trajectories of math and reading scores for promoted and retained children were compared. Retained children received a one year boost in achievement; this boost fully dissipated by the end of elementary school. The pattern of subsequent retention in grades 2, 3 and 4 and placement in special education of the sample during the elementary school years is also described and their effects are explored. Policy implications for interventions for low achieving children are considered. PMID:23335818

A Menu of Activities in Different Intelligence Areas to Differentiate Instruction for Upper Elementary Students Related to the Book "Because of Winn-Dixie"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elser, Caroline F.; Rule, Audrey C.

2008-01-01

Today's elementary classrooms are becoming more diverse, requiring teachers to provide effective instruction to children with a wide range of academic performance, ability, background, and interest. This work focuses on the development of a menu of differentiated instructional activities for teaching literacy to upper elementary students. The…

[Relationship between first molar caries and eating and tooth brushing habits in elementary school children].

PubMed

Fujiwara, Aiko; Takeda, Fumi

2010-11-01

The aim of the present study was to elucidate the relationship between eating and tooth brushing habits in the second grade of elementary school with first molar caries in the third to sixth grades. Subjects were 130 students at one elementary school in the Tokai region who were in the second grade in 2002, for which eating and tooth-brushing habits were ascertained by a self-administered questionnaire survey. A follow-up survey was conducted based on the 2002 to 2006 school dental examination record and analyses were performed on data from 104 students without first molar dental caries in the second grade. The incidences of first molar caries in the third grade were higher among students who ate cookies at least once daily or every 2 to 3 days, compared with those who ate cookies once a week or not at all in the second grade. Incidences were also higher among those whose daily frequency of tooth brushing was once or sometimes compared with twice or three times or more. Furthermore, the incidences of first molar caries in the fourth, fifth and sixth grades were higher among students who ate candy at least once daily or every 2 to 3 days, compared with those who ate candy once a week or not at all in the second grade. The intake frequency of cookies was related to the first molar caries in the third grade, and of candy for that in the fourth to sixth grades. Moreover, first molar caries in the third grade were also related to the daily frequency of second-grade tooth brushing. These findings suggest the importance of measures encouraging lower-grade elementary students to establish and maintain habits of tooth brushing and of limiting consumption of sweets, such as cookies and candy, in order to prevent caries in their permanent teeth during elementary school.

The Influence of Personalization of Online Texts on Elementary School Students' Reading Comprehension and Attitudes toward Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ertem, Ihsan Seyit

2013-01-01

The purpose of this research was to examine the role of personalized and non-personalized online texts on elementary school fifth grade students' comprehension and their attitudes toward reading. Participants were 47 fifth-grade students from a rural elementary school in north Florida. The subjects were randomly assigned into two (personalized…

Using food as a tool to teach science to 3rd grade students in Appalachian Ohio

PubMed Central

Duffrin, Melani W.; Hovland, Jana; Carraway-Stage, Virginia; McLeod, Sara; Duffrin, Christopher; Phillips, Sharon; Rivera, David; Saum, Diana; Johanson, George; Graham, Annette; Lee, Tammy; Bosse, Michael; Berryman, Darlene

2010-01-01

The Food, Math, and Science Teaching Enhancement Resource (FoodMASTER) Initiative is a compilation of programs aimed at using food as a tool to teach mathematics and science. In 2007–2008, a foods curriculum developed by professionals in nutrition and education was implemented in 10 3rd-grade classrooms in Appalachian Ohio; teachers in these classrooms implemented 45 hands-on foods activities that covered 10 food topics. Subjects included measurement; food safety; vegetables; fruits; milk and cheese; meat, poultry, and fish; eggs; fats; grains; and meal management. Students in four other classrooms served as the control group. Mainstream 3rd-grade students were targeted because of their receptiveness to the subject matter, science standards for upper elementary grades, and testing that the students would undergo in 4th grade. Teachers and students alike reported that the hands-on FoodMASTER curriculum experience was worthwhile and enjoyable. Our initial classroom observation indicated that the majority of students, girls and boys included, were very excited about the activities, became increasingly interested in the subject matter of food, and were able to conduct scientific observations. PMID:20975982

Art. Elementary Curriculum Guide 1985.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.

The elementary art program level 1 (grades 1 and 2), level 2 (grades 3 and 4), and level 3 (grades 5 and 6) is a unified, sequential course which focuses on 4 major concepts of visual learning. The concepts are: reflection--the response to visual forms in nature, designed objects and artworks; depiction--the development of imagery based on…

Easy as 1, 2, 3: Exploring the Implementation of Standards-Based Grading in Wake County Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paeplow, Colleen Graham

2011-01-01

Wake County Public School System's (WCPSS) 102 elementary schools have implemented standards-based grading. This grading practice is aligned with North Carolina's Student Accountability Standards and the WCPSS Promotion/Intervention policy. Standards-based report cards were designed to reflect student mastery of state standards and provide an…

Elementary Science Curriculum, Grade 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoneham Public Schools, MA.

This is one of a set of curriculum guides for the Stoneham Elementary School Science Program (see SE 012 153 - SE 012 158). Each guide contains a chart illustrating the scope and sequence of the physical, life, and earth sciences introduced at each grade level. For each of the topics introduced at this grade level an overview of the topic, a list…

Consent Form Return Rates for Third-Grade Urban Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ji, Peter; Flay, Brian R.; Phil, D.; DuBois, David L.; Brechling, Vanessa; Day, Joseph; Cantillon, Dan

2006-01-01

Objective: To maximize active parent consent form return rates for third-grade minority, urban students enrolled in predominantly low-income elementary schools in Chicago, Ill. Methods: Research staff used a class incentive and class visits to retrieve consent forms from students. Results: Of the 811 third-grade students, 98% returned a form and …

Gender Differences in Attitudes toward Mathematics between Low-Achieving and High-Achieving Fifth Grade Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rathbone, A. Sue

Possible gender differences in attitudes toward mathematics were studied between low-achieving and high-achieving fifth-grade students in selected elementary schools within a large, metropolitan area. The attitudes of pre-adolescent children at an intermediate grade level were assessed to determine the effects of rapidly emerging gender-related…

Age of First Use of Cigarettes among Rural and Small Town Elementary School Children in Illinois.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarvela, Paul D.; Monge, Eduardo A.; Shannon, Dan V.; Nawrot, Robynn

1999-01-01

Investigated the age at first cigarette use among rural and small town elementary students. Age-appropriate surveys of kindergarten through sixth-grade students indicated no significant difference in smoking between students in grades K-5, but smoking increased significantly in sixth grade. The strongest predictor variables were having tried…

Elementary Science Curriculum, Grade 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoneham Public Schools, MA.

This is one of a set of curriculum guides for the Stoneham Elementary School Science Program (see SE 012 153 - SE 012 158). Each guide contains a chart illustrating the scope and sequence of the physical, life, and earth sciences introduced at each grade level. For each of the topics introduced at this grade level an overview of the topic, a list…

Developing Elementary Science PCK for Teacher Education: Lessons Learned from a Second Grade Partnership

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradbury, Leslie U.; Wilson, Rachel E.; Brookshire, Laura E.

2017-06-01

In this self-study, two science educators partnered with two elementary teachers to plan, implement, and reflect on a unit taught in second grade classrooms that integrated science and language arts. The researchers hoped to increase their pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for elementary science teaching so that they might use their experiences working in an elementary context to modify their practices in their elementary science method instruction. The research question guiding the study was: What aspects of our PCK for elementary science teaching do we as science educators develop by co-planning, co-teaching, and reflecting with second grade teachers? Data include transcripts of planning meetings, oral reflections about the experience, and videos of the unit being enacted. Findings indicate that managing resources for science teaching, organizing students for science learning, and reflecting on science teaching were themes prevalent in the data. These themes were linked to the model of PCK developed by Park and Oliver (Research in Science Education, 38, 261-284, 2008) and demonstrate that we developed PCK for elementary science teaching in several areas. In our discussion, we include several proposed changes for our elementary science methods course based on the outcomes of the study.

The Relationship between Music Attitude and Selected Factors in Elementary Music Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Monica DeLoach

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine elementary students' attitudes toward music in Grades 3, 4, and 5. The sample comprised of 366 Grade 3, 4, and 5 students from two different Southeastern elementary schools. The schools had different socioeconomic identities. Of the two schools selected, one school was a Title I school and one a Non-Title I…

An Investigation of the Relationship between Learning Styles of Fifth Grade Elementary School Students and Their Music Composition Processes and Products

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marrinan, Nora Marie

2008-01-01

This researcher sought to investigate the relationship between perceptual learning modalities of fifth grade elementary school students and their compositional processes and products. Music composition, at the elementary school level, has been studied for many years, as the creation of new music can give students a more active role in learning,…

The prevalence of evidence-based substance use prevention curricula in the nation’s elementary schools1

PubMed Central

Hanley, Sean; Ringwalt, Chris; Ennett, Susan T.; Vincus, Amy A.; Bowling, J. Michael; Haws, Susan W.; Rohrbach, Louise A.

2010-01-01

Current guidelines for school-based substance use prevention suggest that prevention efforts should begin in elementary grades, before students begin using substances. Previous research suggests, however, that the use of evidence-based curricula in these grades may be low. Using a 2005 survey of public school districts in the U.S. that include elementary grades (n=1563), we assessed the prevalence of elementary curricula use, particularly those designated as evidence-based. We found that although 72% of districts administer a substance use prevention curriculum to their elementary students, only about 35% are using one that is evidence-based and only about 14% are using an evidence-based curriculum more so than any other prevention curriculum. We present prevalence estimates for specific evidence-based curricula and conclude by discussing possible reasons for and implications of our findings. PMID:21038763

Using the Title I Control Group Model for Evaluation Research and Development of a Supplemental Mathematics Project for Third and Fifth Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slaughter, Helen B.

Mathematics achievement of Elementary Secondary Education Act Title I students was evaluated, using RMC Model B, the control group model. The third-grade students in 8 of 17 Title I elementary schools and the fifth-grade students in the remaining 9 schools were chosen for the pilot project. The remaining third-and fifth-grade students served as…

A Case Study on the Spatial Conceptualization Abilities for Sixth Grade Elementary Students from Urban, Suburban and Remote Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Jen Yi; Liu, Chuan Hsi

2017-01-01

The main objective of this study was to investigate and compare the spatial conceptualization performance for sixth grade elementary school students from urban, suburban and remote schools in Taiwan. This study involved 27, 25, and 26 sixth grade students from one remote indigenous school in eastern Taiwan, one suburban indigenous school in…

Relationship between cognitive functions and prevalence of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students.

PubMed

Mizuno, Kei; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fukuda, Sanae; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2011-06-01

Fatigue is a common complaint among elementary and junior high school students, and is related to poor academic performance. Since grade-dependent development of cognitive functions also influences academic performance, we attempted to determine whether cognitive functions were associated with the prevalence of fatigue. Participants were 148 elementary school students from 4th- to 6th-grades and 152 junior high school students from 7th- to 9th-grades. Participants completed a questionnaire about fatigue (Japanese version of the Chalder Fatigue Scale) and paper-and-pencil and computerized cognitive tests which could evaluate the abilities of motor processing, immediate, delayed and working memory, selective, divided and alternative attention, retrieve learned material, and spatial construction. We found that in multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for grade and gender, slow motor processing was positively correlated with the prevalence of fatigue in the elementary school students and decreases in working memory and divided and alternative attention processing were positively correlated with the prevalence of fatigue in the junior high school students. The grade-dependent development of cognitive function influences the severity of fatigue in elementary and junior high school students. Copyright © 2010 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stress Causing Factors Among Teachers in Elementary Schools and Their Relationship with Demographic and Job Characteristics.

PubMed

Agai-Demjaha, Teuta; Minov, Jordan; Stoleski, Sasho; Zafirova, Beti

2015-09-15

Once high levels of work-related stress among teachers were confirmed many studies concentrated on identifying and investigating key stress factors among school teachers. Unfortunately there are very few researches made on stress causing factors among teachers in Republic of Macedonia. To determine the most frequent stress causing factors among teachers in elementary schools and to investigate their relationship with demographic and job characteristics. We performed a descriptive-analytical model of a cross-sectional study which involved 300 teachers employed in nine elementary schools. Evaluation of examined subjects included completion of a specially designed questionnaire. Among six categories of factors that generate work related stress (job demands, control, relationships, role, changes and support) control and support had the highest mean scores. Within the control category the highest levels of perceived teacher's work-related stress were caused by the following factors - changes in terms and conditions without consultation and given responsibility without the authority to take decisions. 141 out of the interviewed teachers (47%) have mentioned changes in terms and conditions without consultation as very stressful, while another 50 (16.67%) have reported it as stressful. 123 out of interviewed teachers (41%) have stated given responsibility without the authority to take decisions as very stressful, with another 105 (35%) have reported it as stressful. In the category support the highest levels of perceived teacher's work-related stress were caused by stress factors - lack of funds/resources to do the job and limited or no access to training. Out of 300 interviewed teachers, 179 (59.67%) have reported lack of funds/resources to do the job as very stressful, while another 50 (16.67%) as stressful. There is no significant relationship between the stress factor limited or no access to training and demographic and job characteristics. Our findings confirm that within the control category, the highest levels of perceived teacher's work-related stress were caused by changes in terms and conditions without consultation and given responsibility without the authority to take decisions, while in the category support, the same was true for stress factors lack of funds/resources to do the job and limited or no access to training. We have also concluded that the lower-grade school teachers, female teachers, teachers for whom this is the first job and teachers with university education perceive more often the lack of authority to take decisions as a very stressful factor than the upper-grade school teachers, male teachers, teachers previously employed in another workplace, and those with high education. The lower-grade school teachers, older teachers and teachers with university education perceive more often changes in education as a very stressful factor than the upper grade school teachers, younger teachers and those with high education.

Level of Work Related Stress among Teachers in Elementary Schools.

PubMed

Agai-Demjaha, Teuta; Bislimovska, Jovanka Karadzinska; Mijakoski, Dragan

2015-09-15

Teaching is considered a highly stressful occupation, with work-related stress levels among teachers being among the highest compared to other professions. Unfortunately there are very few studies regarding the levels of work-related stress among teachers in the Republic of Macedonia. To identify the level of self-perceived work-related stress among teachers in elementary schools and its relationship to gender, age, position in the workplace, the level of education and working experience. We performed a descriptive-analytical model of a cross-sectional study that involved 300 teachers employed in nine elementary schools. Evaluation of examined subjects included completion of a specially designed questionnaire. We found that the majority of interviewed teachers perceive their work-related stress as moderate. The level of work-related stress was significantly high related to the gender, age, position in workplace, as well as working experience (p < 0.01), while it was significant related to level of education (p < 0.05). Significantly greater number of lower-grade teachers perceives the workplace as extremely stressful as compared to the upper-grade teachers (18.5% vs. 5.45%), while the same is true for female respondents as compared to the male ones (15.38% vs. 3.8%). In addition, our results show that teachers with university education significantly more often associate their workplace with stronger stress than their colleagues with high education (13.48% vs. 9.4%). We also found that there is no significant difference of stress levels between new and more experienced teachers. Our findings confirm that the majority of interviewed teachers perceived their work-related stress as high or very high. In terms of the relationship between the level of teachers' stress and certain demographic and job characteristics, according to our results, the level of work-related stress has shown significantly high relation to gender, age, levels of grades taught as well as working experience, and significant relation to the level of education.

Level of Work Related Stress among Teachers in Elementary Schools

PubMed Central

Agai–Demjaha, Teuta; Bislimovska, Jovanka Karadzinska; Mijakoski, Dragan

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Teaching is considered a highly stressful occupation, with work-related stress levels among teachers being among the highest compared to other professions. Unfortunately there are very few studies regarding the levels of work-related stress among teachers in the Republic of Macedonia. AIM: To identify the level of self-perceived work-related stress among teachers in elementary schools and its relationship to gender, age, position in the workplace, the level of education and working experience. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a descriptive-analytical model of a cross-sectional study that involved 300 teachers employed in nine elementary schools. Evaluation of examined subjects included completion of a specially designed questionnaire. RESULTS: We found that the majority of interviewed teachers perceive their work-related stress as moderate. The level of work-related stress was significantly high related to the gender, age, position in workplace, as well as working experience (p < 0.01), while it was significant related to level of education (p < 0.05). Significantly greater number of lower-grade teachers perceives the workplace as extremely stressful as compared to the upper-grade teachers (18.5% vs. 5.45%), while the same is true for female respondents as compared to the male ones (15.38% vs. 3.8%). In addition, our results show that teachers with university education significantly more often associate their workplace with stronger stress than their colleagues with high education (13.48% vs. 9.4%). We also found that there is no significant difference of stress levels between new and more experienced teachers. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that the majority of interviewed teachers perceived their work-related stress as high or very high. In terms of the relationship between the level of teachers’ stress and certain demographic and job characteristics, according to our results, the level of work-related stress has shown significantly high relation to gender, age, levels of grades taught as well as working experience, and significant relation to the level of education. PMID:27275275

Kids Really "Are" Different These Days

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coyl, Diana D.

2009-01-01

Upper elementary children today, while retaining many of the characteristics ascribed to them generations ago by theorists such as Piaget, Erikson, and Kohlberg, are different. Developmental characteristics across multiple domains remain relatively predictable for the upper elementary years, but they also reflect changes in society and school…

Indiana Third Grade Reading ISTEP+ Scores Comparisons in a Public Elementary School to a Public Elementary Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Cassandra D.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference with student achievement at third grade in reading with a traditional public school as compared to a public charter school; both schools were a part of the Southwest Region School Corporation. This quasi-experimental study compared third grade ISTEP+ scale scores in…

Massachusetts Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS). "Technical Descriptions of Risk Model Development": Early and Late Elementary Age Groupings (Grades 1-6)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2013

2013-01-01

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department) created the grades 1-12 Early Warning Indicator System (EWIS) in response to district interest in the Early Warning Indicator Index (EWII) that the Department previously created for rising grade 9 students. Districts shared that the EWII data were helpful, but also…

Implementing the Recent Curricular Changes to English Language Instruction in Turkey: Opinions and Concerns of Elementary School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Servet; Kasapoðlu, Hülya

2014-01-01

Recent modifications to the Turkish educational system have mandated that instruction in English begin in the 2nd grade, rather than the 4th grade, as was previously required. Consequently, substantial modification of the elementary (2nd through 8th grade) English language teaching program has been carried out in order to accommodate this change.…

African Studies in French for the Elementary Grades: Phase II of a Twinned Classroom Approach to the Teaching of French in the Elementary Grades. Volume II, Tapescripts and Essays.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Sister Ruth

This experiment examines a new psychological approach to foreign language study at the elementary school level. A principal objective is to determine the nature and importance of second language learning motivation in monolingual societies devoid of the daily living example of the target language and culture. A five-year French language sequence,…

African Studies in French for the Elementary Grades: Phase II of a Twinned Classroom Approach to the Teaching of French in the Elementary Grades. Volume I, Technical Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonas, Sister Ruth

This experiment examines a new psychological approach to foreign language study at the elementary school level. A principal objective is to determine the nature and importance of second language learning motivation in monolingual societies devoid of the daily living example of the target language and culture. A five-year French language sequence,…

Addressing Priorities for Elementary School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Venenciano, Linda; Dougherty, Barbara

2014-01-01

Findings from international assessments present an opportunity to reconsider mathematics education across the grades. If concepts taught in elementary grades lay the foundation for continued study, then children's introduction to school mathematics deserves particular attention. We consider Davydov's theory (1966), which sequences…

Moral Thinking in Male Elementary Pupils as Reflected by Perception of Basketball Rules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jantz, Richard K.

1975-01-01

The results of this study support Piaget's contention of different levels of moral thinking in elementary school children. The findings indicate a lower level of moral responses in grades one and two than in grades three through six. (RC)

Receipt of special education services following elementary school grade retention.

PubMed

Silverstein, Michael; Guppy, Nicole; Young, Robin; Augustyn, Marilyn

2009-06-01

To estimate the proportion of children who receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP) following grade retention in elementary school. Longitudinal cohort study. Children retained in kindergarten or first (K/1) grade and third grade, presumably for academic reasons, were followed up through fifth grade. Presence or absence of an IEP. A total of 300 children retained in K/1 and 80 retained in third grade were included in the study. Of the K/1 retainees, 68.9% never received an IEP during the subsequent 4 to 5 years; of the third-grade retainees, 72.3% never received an IEP. Kindergarten/first-grade retainees in the highest quintile for socioeconomic status and those with suburban residence were less likely to receive an IEP than retained children in all other socioeconomic status quintiles (adjusted odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.05-0.62) and in rural communities (0.16; 0.06-0.44). Among K/1 retainees with persistently low academic achievement in math and reading, as assessed by standardized testing, 38.2% and 29.7%, respectively, never received an IEP. Most children retained in K/1 or third grade for academic reasons, including many of those who demonstrated sustained academic difficulties, never received an IEP during elementary school. Further studies are important to elucidate whether retained elementary schoolchildren are being denied their rights to special education services. In the meantime, early-grade retention may provide an opportunity for pediatricians to help families advocate for appropriate special education evaluations for children experiencing school difficulties.

Reach for Reference. Four Recent Reference Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Safford, Barbara Ripp

2004-01-01

This article provides descriptions of four new science and technology encyclopedias that are appropriate for inclusion in upper elementary and/or middle school reference collections. "The Macmillan Encyclopedia of Weather" (Stern, Macmillan Reference/Gale), a one-volume encyclopedia for upper elementary and middle level students, is a…

Establishing the need for nutrition education: I. Methodology.

PubMed

Vaden, A G; Newell, G K; Dayton, A D; Foley, C S

1983-10-01

Developmental and data collection phases for a comprehensive needs assessment project designed to provide baseline data for planning a statewide nutrition education and training project are summarized. To meet project objectives, 97 Kansas elementary schools were selected randomly as sampling units. A mail questionnaire was used to assess nutrition knowledge and attitudes and dietary and nutrition education practices of elementary teachers and food service personnel. Data from fifth grade students were collected on-site at each school. A written test was used to measure students' nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Students' nutritional status was partially assessed by measuring their height, weight, skinfold thickness, and upper arm circumference. As an additional assessment, 24-hour dietary recall interviews were conducted with a random sample of the students. In this article, each aspect of the data collection methodology is described in detail. As emphasized by authorities in the field, more complete information is needed in many nutrition survey reports to assist in useful interpretations and for comparisons among studies.

Elementary Health: Authorized Resources Annotated List.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton. Curriculum Standards Branch.

This comprehensive, annotated resource list is designed to assist in selecting resources authorized by the Alberta (Canada) Education Department for the elementary health classroom (Grades 1-6). Within each grade and topic, annotated entries for basic learning resources are listed, followed by support learning resources and authorized teaching…

Improving Citizenship Education: Elementary Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Edwin L., Ed.

Designed to enrich social studies education at the elementary level, this manual provides teaching strategies and citizenship units for kindergarten through grade 7. Kindergarten students learn about rules, voting, interdependence, wants vs. needs, environmental protection, homes and backgrounds, and goods and services. Grades 1 and 2 focus on the…

Children's Understanding of Lies in Elementary School Years.

PubMed

Hayashi, Hajimu

2017-01-01

The author examined whether children's understanding of lies exhibits developmental trends in the elementary school years. Four story contexts were presented to 51 first-grade students, 44 fourth-grade students, and 58 adults. These stories represented combinations of a protagonist's intention (truthful or deceptive) and the truth of the protagonist's message (true or false). The results showed that adults judged whether these messages were lies by considering the protagonist's intentions. By contrast, approximately 30% of first-grade students and some fourth-grade students did not consider intentions in making judgments, although they appropriately predicted the outcomes of the messages. These results suggest that children in the early elementary school years have a conception of lies different from that of adults, and their conception of lies becomes more sophisticated after middle childhood.

Exploring the Relationship between Early Childhood and Elementary Grade-Level Overlap and Early Childhood Teacher Output

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, R. Clarke

2017-01-01

This study explores the relationship between grade-level overlap between elementary education (ELED) and early childhood education (ECED) licenses and ECED teacher output. Analysis of Title 2 data indicates that ECED/ELED overlap is extensive, as evidenced by the number of states with grade-level overlaps of 5 (n = 2), 4 (n = 24), 3 (n = 10), and…

Accelerometer-Determined Physical Activity among Elementary School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pan, Chien-Yu; Tsai, Chia-Liang; Hsieh, Kai-Wen; Chu, Chia-Hua; Li, Ya-Lin; Huang, Shih-Tse

2011-01-01

To examine age-related physical activity (PA) patterns between- and within-day in elementary school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). PA was recorded every 5-s by uniaxial accelerometry in 35 children (grades 1-2, n = 13; grades 3-4, n = 13; grades 5-6, n = 9) for up to five weekdays and two weekend days. Younger children were…

Associations between Perceived Teaching Behaviours and Affect in Upper Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnard, Allison D.; Adelson, Jill L.; Pössel, Patrick

2017-01-01

We explored the associations between student-perceived teaching behaviours and negative affect (NA) and positive affect (PA) in upper elementary age students, both before and after controlling for perceived parenting behaviours. The Teaching Behaviour Questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire, and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule…

Knowledge of Upper Respiratory Tract Infection In Elementary School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCann-Sanford, Thurma; And Others

1982-01-01

This study assessed elementary school students' knowledge of upper respiratory tract infection and correlated it with parental socioeconomic status, ethnic background, and school absences. Schools chosen for the study represented different socioeconomic and ethnic populations. Students had a general knowledge of the etiology, symptoms, treatment,…

Imagination Unlimited: A Guide for Creative Problem Solving, Upper Elementary Summer School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleveland Public Schools, OH. Div. of Major Work Classes.

The guide gives procedures for helping gifted upper elementary school students in Major Work classes utilize their imagination. Appropriate literary quotes introduce a discussion on creativity, which involves the imaginative recombination of known ideas into something new. Considered are obstacles that work against creativity such as mental…

Living in Space. Book II. Levels D, E, F for Grades 4, 5, 6. Operation Liftoff: Elementary School Space Program. A Resource Guide with Activities for Elementary School Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Sheila Briskin; Kirschenbaum, Audrey

This guide contains teacher background information and activities for students which deal with space travel and is designed to encourage elementary school students to take a greater interest in mathematics and science. The activities in this guide are to be used with grades 4 to 6 and cover the topics of food, clothing, health, housing,…

Living in Space. Book 1. Levels A, B, C for Grades 1, 2, 3. Operation Liftoff: Elementary School Space Program. A Resource Guide with Activities for Elementary School Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Sheila Briskin; Kirschenbaum, Audrey

This guide contains teacher background information and activities for students that relate to space travel and is designed to encourage elementary school students to take a greater interest in mathematics and science. The activities in this guide are to be used with grades 1 to 3 and cover the topics of food, clothing, health, housing,…

A reputation for success (or failure): the association of peer academic reputations with academic self-concept, effort, and performance across the upper elementary grades.

PubMed

Gest, Scott D; Rulison, Kelly L; Davidson, Alice J; Welsh, Janet A

2008-05-01

The associations between children's academic reputations among peers and their academic self-concept, effort, and performance were examined in a longitudinal study of 427 students initially enrolled in Grades 3, 4, and 5. Assessments were completed in the fall and spring of 2 consecutive school years and in the fall of a 3rd school year. Peer academic reputation (PAR) correlated moderately strongly with teacher-rated skills and changed over time as a function of grades earned at the prior assessment. Path-analytic models indicated bidirectional associations between PAR and academic self-concept, teacher-rated academic effort, and grade point average. There was little evidence that changes in self-concept mediated the association between PAR and effort and GPA or that changes in effort mediated the association between PAR and GPA. Results suggest that peers may possess unique information about classmates' academic functioning, that children's PARs are psychologically meaningful, and that these reputations may serve as a useful marker of processes that forecast future academic engagement and performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

[Developmental changes of rapid automatized naming and Hiragana reading of Japanese in elementary-school children].

PubMed

Kobayashi, Tomoka; Inagaki, Masumi; Gunji, Atsuko; Yatabe, Kiyomi; Kita, Yosuke; Kaga, Makiko; Gotoh, Takaaki; Koike, Toshihide

2011-11-01

Two hundred and seven Japanese elementary school children aged from 6 (Grade 1) to 12 (Grade 6) years old were tested for their abilities to name numbers and pictured objects along with reading Hiragana characters and words. These children all showed typical development and their classroom teachers judged that they were not having any problems with reading or writing. The children were randomly divided into two groups, the first group was assigned to two naming tasks;the rapid automatized naming (RAN) of "numbers" and "pictured objects," the second group was assigned to two rapid alternative stimulus (RAS) naming tasks using numbers and pictured objects. All children were asked to perform two reading tasks that were written in Hiragana script: single mora reading task and four syllable word reading task. The total articulation time for naming and reading and performance in terms of accuracy were measured for each task. Developmental changes in these variables were evaluated. The articulation time was significantly longer for the first graders, and it gradually shortened as they moved through to the upper grades in all tasks. The articulation time reached a plateau in the 5th grade for the number naming, while gradual change continued after drastic change in the lower grades for the pictured object naming. The articulation times for the single mora reading and RAN of numbers correlated strongly. The articulation time for the RAS naming was significantly longer compared to that for the RAN, though there were very few errors. The RAS naming showed the highest correlation with the four syllable word reading. This study demonstrated that the performance in rapid automatized naming of numbers and pictures were closely related with performance on reading tasks. Thus Japanese children with reading disorders such as developmental dyslexia should also be evaluated for rapid automatized naming.

An Examination of Principals' Leadership and Its Impact on Early Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallissey, Megan

2017-01-01

This exploratory, qualitative multiple-site case study examined principals' expectations of teaching practices and children's learning for early elementary grade levels (K, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd). Specifically, this study investigated principals' understanding of developmentally appropriate practices regarding instructional methods, curriculum…

Enriching the Curriculum Through Consumer Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euclid City Schools, OH.

The guide contains class activities for consumer education at the elementary grade level. The interdisciplinary activities are appropriate for whole class, small group, or individual research in consumerism. Teachers can adjust the activities to any elementary grade level by varying the approach. The guide's major objective is to help children…

Aviation Science Activities for Elementary Grades. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Aviation Administration (DOT), Washington, DC.

This guide contains the procedures and lists of materials needed for 105 aviation activities, demonstrations, and experiments. These activities, demonstrations, and experiments (suitable for students in all elementary grades) are organized into three sections by major topic area: (1) properties of air; (2) factors related to airplane flight; and…

Cooperative Learning with a Computer in a Native Language Class.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Ruth

In a cooperative task, American Indian elementary students produced bilingual natural history dictionaries using a Macintosh computer. Students in grades 3 through 8 attended weekly, multi-graded bilingual classes in Hupa/English or Yurok/English, held at two public school field sites for training elementary teaching-credential candidates. Teams…

Examining Multidimensional Middle Grade Outcomes after Early Elementary School Grade Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Sophia; Cappella, Elise; Schwartz, Kate

2016-01-01

Recently, researchers have begun to employ rigorous statistical methods and developmentally-informed theories to evaluate outcomes for students retained in non-kindergarten early elementary school. However, the majority of this research focuses on academic outcomes. Gaps remain regarding retention's effects on psychosocial outcomes important to…

Scientific Investigations of Elementary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valanides, Nicos; Papageorgiou, Maria; Angeli, Charoula

2014-01-01

The study provides evidence concerning elementary school children's ability to conduct a scientific investigation. Two hundred and fifty sixth-grade students and 248 fourth-grade students were administered a test, and based on their performance, they were classified into high-ability and low-ability students. The sample of this study was…

Elementary Art Education Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frederick County Public Schools, MD.

This curriculum guide for elementary art education is divided into 21 parts. Following a preface and acknowledgements, the philosophy, framework, goals, and objectives of the art curriculum for Frederick County (Maryland) are outlined. Grade level course overviews and scope and sequence for art education in grades 1-5 are then presented. An…

Children's Environmental Identity and the Elementary Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tugurian, Linda P.; Carrier, Sarah J.

2017-01-01

This qualitative research explores children's environmental identity by describing how fifth grade children view their relationship with the natural world alongside their experience of elementary school science. Qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with 17 grade 5 children was supported with a survey that included responses to open-ended…

"Mathematics Is Like a Lion": Elementary Students' Beliefs about Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markovits, Zvia; Forgasz, Helen

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the beliefs of elementary school students about mathematics and about themselves as mathematics learners. The participants, Israeli grade 4 and grade 6 students, completed questionnaires. Using an "animal metaphor" to tap beliefs, some students perceived mathematics as difficult and complicated, while…

Health, Grade 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bui Van Bao; And Others

This is the fifth and last of the Vietnamese series of elementary health textbooks. This one was designed for fifth grade students in Vietnam. The thirty-five lessons are presented in the form of short stories with illustrations and a short summary. The four chapters cover the ordinary symptoms of illness, elementary notions of microbes and…

Error Patterns with Fraction Calculations at Fourth Grade as a Function of Students' Mathematics Achievement Status.

PubMed

Schumacher, Robin F; Malone, Amelia S

2017-09-01

The goal of the present study was to describe fraction-calculation errors among 4 th -grade students and determine whether error patterns differed as a function of problem type (addition vs. subtraction; like vs. unlike denominators), orientation (horizontal vs. vertical), or mathematics-achievement status (low- vs. average- vs. high-achieving). We specifically addressed whether mathematics-achievement status was related to students' tendency to operate with whole number bias. We extended this focus by comparing low-performing students' errors in two instructional settings that focused on two different types of fraction understandings: core instruction that focused on part-whole understanding vs. small-group tutoring that focused on magnitude understanding. Results showed students across the sample were more likely to operate with whole number bias on problems with unlike denominators. Students with low or average achievement (who only participated in core instruction) were more likely to operate with whole number bias than students with low achievement who participated in small-group tutoring. We suggest instruction should emphasize magnitude understanding to sufficiently increase fraction understanding for all students in the upper elementary grades.

Knowledge, Skills, or Attitudes/Beliefs: The Contexts of Agricultural Literacy in Upper-Elementary Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallera, Farah L.; Bodzin, Alec M.

2016-01-01

Agricultural literacy connects knowledge, skills, and attitudes/beliefs (KSABs) about agriculture to KSABs in environmental education, education for sustainable development, and science education identified in recent reform initiatives. This study conducted a content analysis of 12 current upper-elementary U.S. science textbooks and curriculum…

Exploring the Experiences of Upper Elementary School Children Who Are Intrinsically Motivated to Seek Information

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crow, Sherry R.

2011-01-01

This article describes research conducted to understand the experiences of children in order to inform school librarians' practice in fostering intrinsic motivation for information seeking. An inductive naturalistic approach was used to explore the following question: "What are the experiences in the lives of upper-elementary school children…

"Words that Hold Us up": Teacher Talk and Academic Language in Five Upper Elementary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ernst-Slavit, Gisela; Mason, Michele R.

2011-01-01

This study investigates the oral academic language used by English as a second language prepared teachers during content area instruction in five upper elementary classrooms in the United States. Using ethnographic and sociolinguistic perspectives the authors examine the oral, academic language exposure students received from their teachers during…

The Impact of Social Interdependence on Metacomprehension Training in Upper Elementary Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pesout, Ondrej

2017-01-01

Proficient reading comprehension provides an academic advantage for 21st century learners. However, students at the upper elementary level face increasingly challenging texts that require use of metacomprehension skills. Yet, there is a lack of formal instruction that assists students in practicing these metacomprehension skills in classrooms.…

[Elementary Career Education Units: Grade 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford City Schools, VA.

The guide is one of a series developed in a pilot project to integrate career education concepts with traditional subject matter and topics in elementary grades K-7 and in special education. Developed by teachers in the Radford, Virginia, schools, the units make use of resource persons from outside the school, occupational information,…

NCLB Presents Middle School Complications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Bess

2004-01-01

In this article, the author reports how the "highly qualified" provision of the No Child Left Behind Act affected middle-grades teachers far more than teachers at the elementary and high school levels. Under the federal law, teachers beyond the elementary grades who were in the classroom two years ago may show their knowledge of academic…

Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2010

2010-01-01

"Scott Foresman-Addison Wesley Elementary Mathematics" is a core curriculum for students at all ability levels in prekindergarten through grade 6. The program supports students' understanding of key math concepts and skills and covers a range of mathematical content across grades. The What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) reviewed 12 studies on…

Socioeconomic Determinants of Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomul, Ekber; Savasci, Havva Sebile

2012-01-01

This study aims to investigate the relationship between academic achievement and the socioeconomic characteristics of elementary school 7th grade students in Burdur. The population of the study are 7th grade students who had education at elementary schools in Burdur in the 2007-2008 academic year. Two staged sampling was chosen as suitable for the…

Differentiation of Instruction in the Elementary Grades. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomlinson, Carol Ann

In most elementary classrooms, some students struggle with learning, others perform well beyond grade-level expectations, and the rest fit somewhere in between. Within each of these categories of students, individuals also learn in a variety of ways and have different interests. To meet the needs of a diverse student population, many teachers…

Counseling in the Elementary Feeder Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunham, Virginia

This brief paper presents the concept of transition counseling between a junior high school and its feeder school(s), designed to make the change from elementary into junior high less traumatic. Aside from routine sixth grade counseling, the counselors expanded their base of counseling to include all types of problems as well as all grade levels.…

Lessons about Art in History and History in Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erickson, Mary, Ed.; Clark, Gilbert, Ed.

Written by teachers from the United States and Canada, these lesson plans focus on integrating the teaching of history and art history. Seventeen lesson plans cover the topics of (1) Slavery, Henry Ossawa Tanner, and His Family--Grades: Elementary; (2) Chinese Landscape Painting--Grades: Elementary; (3) Regionalism: American Art of the Great…

[Elementary Career Education Units: Grades 6 and 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford City Schools, VA.

The guide is one of a series developed in a pilot project to integrate career education concepts with traditional subject matter and topics in elementary grades K-7 and in special education. Developed by teachers in the Radford, Virginia, schools, the units make use of resource persons from outside the school, occupational information,…

Preferences Regarding School Sexuality Education among Elementary Schoolchildren's Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dake, Joseph A.; Price, James H.; Baksovich, Christine M.; Wielinski, Margaret

2014-01-01

Background: A comprehensive review of the literature failed to find any studies to assess elementary school parents' preferred philosophical approach to teaching sexuality education and sexuality education topics discussed by parents. All previous research reported parent data for grades K-12 or grades 9-12 only. Methods: A random sample of 2400…

Learning Science through Talking Science in Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tank, Kristina Maruyama; Coffino, Kara

2014-01-01

Elementary students in grade two make sense of science ideas and knowledge through their contextual experiences. Mattis Lundin and Britt Jakobson find in their research that early grade students have sophisticated understandings of human anatomy and physiology. In order to understand what students' know about human body and various systems,…

Fourth-Grade Students' Motivational Changes in an Elementary Physical Education Running Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xiang, Ping; McBride, Ron E.; Bruene, April

2006-01-01

Achievement goal theory and the expectancy-value model of achievement choice were used to examine fourth-grade students' motivational changes in an elementary physical education running program. In fall and spring of the school year, participants (N = 113; 66 boys, 47 girls) completed questionnaires assessing achievement goals, expectancy beliefs,…

Food: Images of America. Social Studies Unit, Elementary Grades 2-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franklin, Edward; And Others

Designed to accompany an audiovisual filmstrip series devoted to presenting a visual history of life in America, this guide contains an elementary school (grades 2-6) unit on American food over the last century. Using authentic visuals including paintings, advertising, label art, documentary photography, and a movie still, the guide offers…

English Language Arts: Literature Section K-12, Experimental Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Curriculum Development Center.

This curriculum guide is designed to provide a basic framework of skills and activities useful to elementary and secondary teachers in the teaching of literature. The first section discusses activities to facilitate elementary school students' appreciation and understanding of literature. Activities are discussed for grades K-3 and grades 4-6…

A Meta-Analysis of Writing Instruction for Students in the Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Steve; McKeown, Debra; Kiuhara, Sharlene; Harris, Karen R.

2012-01-01

In an effort to identify effective instructional practices for teaching writing to elementary grade students, we conducted a meta-analysis of the writing intervention literature, focusing our efforts on true and quasi-experiments. We located 115 documents that included the statistics for computing an effect size (ES). We calculated an average…

[Elementary Career Education Units: Grade 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Radford City Schools, VA.

The guide is one of a series developed in a pilot project to integrate career education concepts with traditional subject matter and topics in elementary grades K-7 and in special education. Developed by teachers in the Radford, Virginia, schools, the units make use of resource persons from outside the school, occupational information,…

Exploring the Relationship between Questioning, Enacted Mathematical Tasks, and Mathematical Discourse in Elementary School Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Christie; Polly, Drew; McGee, Jen; Wang, Chuang; Lambert, Richard; Pugalee, David

2015-01-01

This study examined the mathematical discourse of elementary school teachers and their students while participating in a year-long professional development project focused on implementing reform-based mathematics curriculum. The teacher participants included 12 teachers, two from each grade level from Kindergarten through Grade 5. Field notes were…

Making the Grade in Mathematics: Elementary School Mathematics in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Harold W.; And Others

Over the last decade, it has been reported that American students lag behind their Asian counterparts as early as the first grade. This study investigated variables influencing elementary school students' mathematics achievement in Japan, Taiwan, and America. Children's mathematics achievement and cognitive abilities were tested. Children,…

Too Good for Violence. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2006

2006-01-01

"Too Good for Violence" promotes character values, social-emotional skills, and healthy beliefs of elementary and middle school students. The program includes seven lessons per grade level for elementary school (K-5) and nine lessons per grade level for middle school (6-8). All lessons are scripted and engage students through…

Developing Number Sense in Pre-K with Five-Frames

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Patrick; Kinzie, Mable B.; Berch, Daniel B.

2012-01-01

Teachers in early childhood and elementary classrooms (grades K-5) have been using ten-frames as an instructional tool to support students' mathematics skill development for many years. Use of the similar five-frame has been limited, however, despite its apparent potential as an instructional scaffold in the early elementary grades. Due to scant…

Our OASIS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bircher, Lisa S.; Sansenbaugher, Bonnie

2017-01-01

This article describes an elementary science summer day camp at East Palatine High School in East Palestine, Ohio, for students in grades K-4, aided by high school (grades 9-12) student mentors. The school's Outdoor Area for Studies in Science (OASIS) is used for formal and informal studies in science for an elementary science camp week. The camp…

A Cross Age Study of Elementary Students' Motivation towards Science Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guvercin, Ozge; Tekkaya, Ceren; Sungur, Semra

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of grade level and gender on elementary school students' motivation towards science learning. A total of 2231 sixth and eight grade students participated in the study. Data were collected through Students' Motivation towards Science Learning Questionnaire. Two-way Multivariate Analysis of…

The Influence of Different Representations on Solving Concentration Problems at Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Chia-Ju; Shen, Ming-Hsun

2011-01-01

This study investigated the students' learning process of the concept of concentration at the elementary school level in Taiwan. The influence of different representational types on the process of proportional reasoning was also explored. The participants included nineteen third-grade and eighteen fifth-grade students. Eye-tracking technology was…

Physical Education and Health Education for Wyoming Elementary Schools, Grades Kindergarten-Six.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woods, John B., Ed.

GRADES OR AGES: K-6. SUBJECT MATTER: Physical education and health education. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: There are 10 main sections--1) the elementary school program--organization and administration; 2) movement exploration and education; 3) rhythmic activities; 4) games; 5) stunts, tumbling, trampoline, and apparatus; 6) individual,…

The Receipt of Special Education Services Following Elementary School Grade Retention

PubMed Central

Silverstein, Michael; Guppy, Nicole; Young, Robin; Augustyn, Marilyn

2009-01-01

Objective To estimate the proportion of children who receive an Individualized Education Program (IEP) following grade retention in elementary school. Design/setting Descriptive analysis of a nationally representative, longitudinal cohort. Participants Children retained in K/1 and 3rd grade for presumed academic reasons, followed through fifth grade. Outcome measure Presence or absence of an IEP. Results 300 children retained for presumed academic reasons in K/1, and 80 in 3rd grade were included in the study. Of the K/1 retainees, 68% never received an IEP over the subsequent four to five years; of the 3rd grade retainees, 73% never received an IEP. K/1 retainees in the highest SES quintile and suburban K/1 retainees were less likely to receive an IEP than retained children in all other SES quintiles (aOR 0.17; 95% CI 0.05-0.62) and in rural communities (aOR 0.16; 95% CI 0.06-0.44), respectively. Among K/1 retainees with persistent low academic achievement in reading and math (as assessed by standardized testing), 37% and 28%, respectively, never received an IEP. Conclusions The majority of children retained in K/1 or 3rd grade for academic reasons, including a many of those who demonstrate sustained academic difficulties, never receive an IEP during elementary school. Further studies are important to elucidate whether retained elementary school children are being denied their rights to special education services. In the meantime, early grade retention may provide an opportunity for pediatricians to help families advocate for appropriate special education evaluations for children experiencing school difficulties. PMID:19487611

Social Involvement of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Elementary School Classrooms

PubMed Central

Rotheram-Fuller, Erin; Kasari, Connie; Chamberlain, Brandt; Locke, Jill

2010-01-01

Background Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly included in general education classrooms in an effort to improve their social involvement. Methods Seventy-nine children with ASD and 79 randomly-selected, gender-matched peers (88.6% male) in 75 early (K-1), middle (2nd–3rd), and late (4th–5th) elementary classrooms across 30 schools completed social network surveys examining each child’s reciprocal friendships, peer rejection, acceptance, and social involvement. Results Across grade levels, peers less frequently reciprocated friendships with children with ASD than students in the matched sample. While children with ASD were not more likely to be rejected by peers, they were less accepted and had fewer reciprocal friendships than matched peers at each grade level. Although 48.1% of children with ASD were involved in the social networks of their classrooms, children with ASD were more likely to be isolated or peripheral to social relationships within the classroom across all grade levels, and this difference is even more dramatic in later elementary grades. Conclusions In inclusive classrooms, children with ASD are only involved in peers’ social relationships about half of the time, and appear to be even less connected with increasing grade level. Promoting children with ASD’s skills in popular activities to share with peers in early childhood may be a key preventive intervention to protect social relationships in late elementary school grades. PMID:20673234

The Multifaceted Impact of Peer Relations on Aggressive-Disruptive Behavior in Early Elementary School

PubMed Central

Powers, Christopher J.; Bierman, Karen L.

2013-01-01

Following a large, diverse sample of 4096 children in 27 schools, this study evaluated the impact of three aspects of peer relations, measured concurrently, on subsequent child aggressive-disruptive behavior during early elementary school – peer-dislike, reciprocated friends' aggressiveness, and classroom levels of aggressive-disruptive behavior. Teachers rated child aggressive-disruptive behavior in first and third grade, and peer relations were assessed during second grade. Results indicated that heightened classroom aggressive-disruptive behavior levels were related to proximal peer relations, including an increased likelihood of having aggressive friends and lower levels of peer-dislike of aggressive-disruptive children. Controlling for first grade aggressive-disruptive behavior, the three second grade peer experiences each made unique contributions to third grade child aggressive-disruptive behavior. These findings replicate and extend a growing body of research documenting the multifaceted nature of peer influence on aggressive-disruptive behavior in early elementary school. They highlight the importance of the classroom ecology and proximal peer relations in the socialization of aggressive-disruptive behavior. PMID:22545840

Seroepidemiology of pertussis among elementary school children in northern Taiwan.

PubMed

Kuo, Ching-Chia; Huang, Yhu-Chering; Hsieh, Yu-Chia; Huang, Ya-Ling; Huang, Yu-Chiau; Hung, Yung-Tai

2017-06-01

Pertussis has been considered a vaccine-preventable "childhood disease", but a shift in age distribution has been reported worldwide. We conducted a seroepidemiological study in 2013 in Taiwan to elucidate the seroprevalence of pertussis among elementary school children. With a multilevel randomized method, which included 14 variables (4 population variables, 4 socio-educational variables, and 6 medical facilities' variables), the 29 executive districts of New Taipei City, Taiwan, were categorized into five strata. From each stratum, the number of school children as well as the number of elementary schools were proportionally selected. Enzyme immunoassay was applied for pertussis immunoglobulin-G measurement. A total of 936 children from 14 schools were recruited. Most participants (98.89%) received at least three doses of acellular diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. The overall seropositive rate for pertussis was 33.97%. The seropositive rate was highest for students in Grade 1 (49.36%) and then declined with time, except for Grade 6 students. Students from Grade 1 to Grade 4 had a significant higher seropositive rate (37.18% vs. 27.56%, p = 0.002) than those from Grade 5 to Grade 6, but a lower geometric mean titer (18.71 NovaTec Unit/mL vs. 20.04 NovaTec Unit/mL, p = 0.20). For the class grades, geometric mean titers were positively correlated with seroprevalence (p < 0.005). Currently, almost one-third of elementary school children in Taiwan were seropositive for pertussis, a rate lower than expected. Seroprevalence declined with increasing class grades except for Grade 6. The current national immunization program may not provide adequate protection for children against pertussis. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Evaluation of An Upper Elementary School Program To Prevent Body Image, Eating, and Weight Concerns.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kater, Kathy J.; Rohwer, John; Londre, Karen

2002-01-01

Examined whether the 11-lesson "Healthy Body Image: Teaching Kids to Eat and Love Their Bodies Too!" curriculum would have a positive effect on upper elementary students. Pretest- posttest measures indicated that, compared to control children, children who completed the curriculum showed significant or notable improvement regarding body image,…

Exploring the Impact of an Out-of-School Science Program on the Science Learning of Upper Elementary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall, Karen Benn

2009-01-01

This study sought to explore qualitatively how participation in an informal science program might affect the following aspects of upper elementary school children's scientific thinking: conceptual understanding, epistemology of science, and the formation of their identity as science learners. A purposefully selected, maximum variation sample of…

Clay Cuffman: A Cool, Calm, Relaxed Guy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Booth, Gina

2010-01-01

This article describes Clay Cuffman, a simple clay-sculpture project that requires two or three sessions, and works for students from the upper-elementary level through high school. It takes about 1.5 pounds of clay per student--about the size of a small grapefruit. The Cuffman project is a great way for upper-elementary through high-school…

Famous Georgians and Their Homes: A Social Studies Unit for Upper Elementary Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deaver, Susan B.

This upper-elementary level social studies curriculum guide is designed to: (1) teach students to understand and appreciate the built (man made) environment; (2) instruct students about Georgia's history and heritage; and (3) introduce the basic concepts of historic preservation. The unit highlights 10 architectural styles of the homes of famous…

Relationships between Teacher Knowledge, Assessment Practice, and Learning--Chicken, Egg, or Omelet? CRESST Report 809

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Joan; Osmundson, Ellen; Dai, Yunyun; Ringstaff, Cathy; Timms, Mike

2011-01-01

Drawing from a large efficacy study in upper elementary science, this report had three purposes: First to examine the quality of teachers' content-pedagogical knowledge in upper elementary science; second, to analyze the relationship between teacher knowledge and their assessment practice; and third, to study the relationship between teacher…

The aurora, Mars, and more! Increasing science content in elementary grades through art and literacy programs in earth and space science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renfrow, S.; Wood, E. L.

2011-12-01

Although reading, writing, and math examinations are often conducted early in elementary school, science is not typically tested until 4th or 5th grade. The result is a refocus on the tested topics at the expense of the untested ones, despite that standards exist for each topic at all grades. On a national level, science instruction is relegated to a matter of a few hours per week. A 2007 Education Policy study states that elementary school students spend an average of 178 minutes a week on science while spending 500 minutes on literacy. A recent NSTA report in July of elementary and middle school teachers confirms that teachers feel pressured to teach math and literacy at the expense of other programs. One unintended result is that teachers in grades where science is tested must play catch-up with students for them to be successful on the assessment. A unique way to combat the lack of science instruction at elementary grades is to combine literacy, social studies, and math into an integrated science program, thereby increasing the number of science contact hours. The Dancing Lights program, developed at the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, is a science, art, and literacy program about the aurora designed to easily fit into a typical 3rd-5th grade instructional day. It mirrors other successful literacy programs and will provide a basis for the literacy program being developed for the upcoming MAVEN mission to Mars. We will present early findings, as well as "lessons learned" during our development and implementation of the Dancing Lights program and will highlight our goals for the MAVEN mission literacy program.

What do primary students know about science, scientists and how they do their work?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartels, Selina L.

The teaching of scientific literacy is the primary goal of elementary science education. Scientific literacy is composed of the overall understanding of what science is and how scientific knowledge is developed. The purpose of this study was to see if elementary students' understandings of science, scientists and how scientists do their work changes from grade one to grade five of elementary school. Furthermore, the study attempts to determine whether there is a difference in scientific literacy between students taught using a textbook curriculum versus a kit-based curriculum. The study draws on a sample of 338 students from 18 different classrooms situated in six different schools in both urban and suburban areas of a large Midwestern city. Students' understandings of science, scientists and how they do their work was measured through a valid and reliable oral protocol entitled Young Children's Views of Science (YCVS) (Lederman, J., Bartels, Lederman, & Ganankkan, 2014). The YCVS assesses students' understandings of the aspects of scientific inquiry (SI) and the nature of science (NOS) that young elementary students are able to understand. These aspects are; science, scientists, multiple methods, observation/inference, begins with a question, empirical, subjectivity, tentativeness and creativity. The YCVS was administered orally for grade one students, and a paper-and-pencil version was given to grades three and five. Results indicated that there are very few gains in NOS and SI understandings between grades one and five in the schools included in this study. None of the schools in this study made significant gains for all of the nine aspects measured in this study. Examining curriculum's affect on NOS and SI understandings, understanding of only one aspect was significantly impacted by curriculum differences. Subjectivity understanding was impacted by kit-based instruction. Overall, students' understandings of science, scientists and how they do their work did not significantly change from grade one to grade five regardless of what type of curriculum they followed. This study shows that students' scientific literacy is not being developed throughout elementary school. Therefore, the teaching of scientific literacy in an explicit and reflective manner should be the focus of preservice elementary school education.

Elementary Career Education Guide, Volume 2: Career Awareness--Primary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watertown Independent School District 1, SD.

Volume 2 of the six-volume articulated elementary education career guide deals with the career awareness level of career education and aims at developing student career identity. The lessons in the volume are divided and color-coded by grade level (early childhood, primary levels one, two, and three corresponding respectively with grades K-three,…

Reliability and Validity of the Math Essential Skill Screener Elementary Version (MESS-E).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erford, Bradley T.; Bagley, Donna L.; Hopper, James A.; Lee, Ramona M.; Panagopulos, Kathleen A.; Preller, Denise B.

1998-01-01

The Math Essential Skill Screener Elementary Version (MESS-E) is a screener devised to identify primary grade students at risk for math difficulties. Item analysis, interitem consistency, test-retest reliability, decision efficiency, and construct validity of the MESS-E were studied using four independent samples of boys and girls grades 1-3. The…

Compensatory Education Product Evaluation: Elementary and Secondary Programs 1991-1992.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saginaw Public Schools, MI. Dept. of Evaluation Services.

An evaluation was done of compensatory educational programs in reading and mathematics in the Saginaw (Michigan) School District. The elementary Compensatory Education (CE) program is both a push-in format (grades 1 and 2) and a pull-out format (periodically taking students out of regular classrooms) that serves 2,045 students in grades 1 through…

School-Level Contextual Effects of Parent Involvement on Children's Achievement during Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oh, Yoonkyung

2012-01-01

This study used the ECLS-K to examine the contextual influences of parent involvement on children's achievement growth in reading and math during elementary grades. The study used Rasch models and HLM measurement models to develop reliable and valid constructs of parent involvement both at the student and at the school level. Piecewise linear…

The Great Depression and Elementary School Teachers as Reported in "Grade Teacher" Magazine

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Field, Sherry L.; Bellows, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This study focuses on elementary school teachers during the Great Depression and the role that they played to sustain everyday school activity. The authors draw evidence primarily from the pages of "Grade Teacher" magazine, through teachers' letters written to its editor, Florence Hale, and her responses to them. Opportunities to study…

Effects of Applying Blogs to Assist Life Education Instruction for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lou, Shi-Jer; Kao, Mei-Chuan; Yen, Hsiu-Ling; Shih, Ru-Chu

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study aims to explore the effects of applying blog-assisted life education instruction to fifth grade elementary school students. The subjects were 30 fifth-grade students from southern Taiwan. The teaching experiment lasted 10 weeks with three sessions conducted each week. In the experiment, instructional effectiveness and the…

Linking Teacher and Parent Ratings of Teacher-Nominated Gifted Elementary School Students to Each Other and to School Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rothenbusch, Sandra; Voss, Thamar; Golle, Jessika; Zettler, Ingo

2018-01-01

This study investigated teacher and parent ratings of teacher-nominated gifted elementary school students' verbal abilities, mathematical abilities, deductive reasoning, creative thinking, and engagement, and connected these ratings to school grades. Teacher and parent ratings were compared with regard to accuracy levels and halo effects.…

Progression in Children's Understanding of the Matter Concept from Elementary to High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Xiufeng; Lesniak, Kathleen

2006-01-01

Adopting a neo-Piagetian conceptual framework and a phenomenographic approach, we identified students' conceptual progression pattern on matter from elementary to high school. We interviewed 54 students from Grade 1 to Grade 10 chemistry on their conceptions of substances (i.e., water, vinegar, and baking soda) and the combining of the substances.…

Effects of Engineering Design-Based Science on Elementary School Science Students' Engineering Identity Development across Gender and Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capobianco, Brenda M.; Yu, Ji H.; French, Brian F.

2015-01-01

The integration of engineering concepts and practices into elementary science education has become an emerging concern for science educators and practitioners, alike. Moreover, how children, specifically preadolescents (grades 1-5), engage in engineering design-based learning activities may help science educators and researchers learn more about…

Perceived Norms and Social Values to Capture School Culture in Elementary and Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galvan, Adriana; Spatzier, Agnieszka; Juvonen, Jaana

2011-01-01

The current study was designed to gain insights into shifting school culture by examining perceived peer group norms and social values across elementary and middle school grades. Perceived norms were assessed by asking participants (N = 605) to estimate how many grade mates were academically engaged, disengaged, and antisocial. To capture social…

Concept Mapping: Effects on Content Knowledge and Engagement with Content in Elementary Students' Persuasive Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Melissa England

2015-01-01

This comparative pre-test/post-test quantitative study investigated the effect of an instructional strategy using concept mapping as a graphic organizer on the quality of persuasive writing compositions produced by fourth grade elementary school students. Six fourth grade classes were assigned as intact groups to three conditions: concept mapping…

The Spiralled Sequence Story Curriculum: A Structuralist Approach to Teaching Fiction in the Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stott, Jon C.

1987-01-01

Suggests that children, even in early elementary grades, can grasp basic elements of children's literature using a spiralled sequence story curriculum, which helps them examine types of character, such as the trickster; elements of plot, such as the journey; and generally see patterns in the stories they read. (JC)

Black-White Differences on IQ and Grades: The Mediating Role of Elementary Cognitive Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pesta, Bryan J.; Poznanski, Peter J.

2008-01-01

The relationship between IQ scores and elementary cognitive task (ECT) performance is well established, with variance on each largely reflecting the general factor of intelligence, or g. Also ubiquitous are Black-White mean differences on IQ and measures of academic success, like grade point average (GPA). Given C. Spearman's (Spearman, C. (1927).…

How Wide Is a Squid Eye? Integrating Mathematics into Public Library Programs for the Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kliman, Marlene; Jaumot-Pascual, Nuria; Martin, Valerie

2013-01-01

Although public library programs for the elementary grades offer explorations in a wide range of topics in which mathematics plays a role, are all too rare: Mathematics offerings are typically limited to homework help. Participating in out-of-school activities that embed mathematics in authentic ways bolsters children's skill development,…

Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District. Educational Specifications: K-5 Permanent (Revised 1998).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District, Roseville, CA.

An Educational Specification Committee was convened to determine the design specifications required for a new K-5 (and temporarily 6-8 grade) elementary school in Roseville, California's Dry Creek District. This report presents revisions to an earlier document that examined school room specifications for each grade level and administrative area.…

Exploring the Use of Online Space in an Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lye, Sze Yee; Abas, Suriati; Tay, Lee Yong; Saban, Fadilah

2012-01-01

This paper analysed how three teacher-researchers of Singapore's elementary school used online space extensively in Grade 2-Grade 4 classrooms. Such online space, made possible by free and readily available web 2.0 and open source applications, was meant to complement the physical learning space as such space can allow learning activities, which…

Math Manipulatives to Increase 4th Grade Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couture, Katie

2012-01-01

This research project was completed with twenty-nine fourth grade students from Shawnee Elementary, a school in the Chippewa Valley School District. It began in April 2012 and the data collection was completed by June 2012. The purpose of this project was to see if utilizing math manipulatives in an elementary classroom will increase student…

Elementary School Computer Access, Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, and Grade 5 Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Julie Ann

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the current school computer access rates of elementary school students and to determine the extent to which school computer access relates to academic achievement among Grade 5 students in the state of Texas. Specifically, the relationship of school computer access to student passing rates on the…

Comprehension Monitoring by Elementary Students: When Does It Occur?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pace, Ann Jaffe

The effect of passage topic and task demands on elementary school students' monitoring of their own comprehension was examined. Second, fourth, and sixth grade students read a short passage about a well-known event (playing checkers) or one about which they had little existing information (making lye soap). Half of the students in each grade were…

Reading Programs for Students in the Lower Elementary Grades: What Does the Research Say?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briggs, Kerri L.; Clark, Catherine

This report aims to disseminate research findings about reading programs for early elementary grades in a summary format useful for educators. The report features programs with clear descriptions and useful research, programs for non-English speaking children and research on basal reader series were not included. The four sections of the report…

Agriculture in Elementary School: A Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crunkilton, John R.

1975-01-01

The article delineates an approach to teaching agriculture in the elementary grades: the extensive development of materials, lesson guides, and teaching aids which elementary teachers could use in their instructional programs, while local agriculture teachers could serve as consultants. (AJ)

Stress Causing Factors Among Teachers in Elementary Schools and Their Relationship with Demographic and Job Characteristics

PubMed Central

Agai–Demjaha, Teuta; Minov, Jordan; Stoleski, Sasho; Zafirova, Beti

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Once high levels of work-related stress among teachers were confirmed many studies concentrated on identifying and investigating key stress factors among school teachers. Unfortunately there are very few researches made on stress causing factors among teachers in Republic of Macedonia. AIM: To determine the most frequent stress causing factors among teachers in elementary schools and to investigate their relationship with demographic and job characteristics. METHODOLOGY: We performed a descriptive-analytical model of a cross-sectional study which involved 300 teachers employed in nine elementary schools. Evaluation of examined subjects included completion of a specially designed questionnaire. RESULTS: Among six categories of factors that generate work related stress (job demands, control, relationships, role, changes and support) control and support had the highest mean scores. Within the control category the highest levels of perceived teacher’s work-related stress were caused by the following factors - changes in terms and conditions without consultation and given responsibility without the authority to take decisions. 141 out of the interviewed teachers (47%) have mentioned changes in terms and conditions without consultation as very stressful, while another 50 (16.67%) have reported it as stressful. 123 out of interviewed teachers (41%) have stated given responsibility without the authority to take decisions as very stressful, with another 105 (35%) have reported it as stressful. In the category support the highest levels of perceived teacher’s work-related stress were caused by stress factors - lack of funds/resources to do the job and limited or no access to training. Out of 300 interviewed teachers, 179 (59.67%) have reported lack of funds/resources to do the job as very stressful, while another 50 (16.67%) as stressful. There is no significant relationship between the stress factor limited or no access to training and demographic and job characteristics. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm that within the control category, the highest levels of perceived teacher’s work-related stress were caused by changes in terms and conditions without consultation and given responsibility without the authority to take decisions, while in the category support, the same was true for stress factors lack of funds/resources to do the job and limited or no access to training. We have also concluded that the lower-grade school teachers, female teachers, teachers for whom this is the first job and teachers with university education perceive more often the lack of authority to take decisions as a very stressful factor than the upper-grade school teachers, male teachers, teachers previously employed in another workplace, and those with high education. The lower-grade school teachers, older teachers and teachers with university education perceive more often changes in education as a very stressful factor than the upper grade school teachers, younger teachers and those with high education. PMID:27275277

Perceptions of Elementary School Students: Experiences and Dreams about the Life Studies Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baysal, Z. Nurdan; Tezcan, Özlem Apak; Araç, Kamil Ersin

2018-01-01

This study seeks to identify elementary school students' views and perceptions of the Life Studies course through verbal and visual instruments. It employs a descriptive phenomenological research design. The study surveyed second- and third-grade students attending one private elementary school and two state elementary schools. The data was…

The Math Essential Skills Screener--Upper Elementary Version (MESS-U): Studies of Reliability and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erford, Bradley T.; Biddison, Amanda R.

2006-01-01

The Math Essential Skills Screener--Upper Elementary Version (MESS-U) is part of a series of screening tests designed to help identify students ages 9-11 who are at risk for mathematics failure. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, item analysis, decision efficiency, convergent validity and factorial validity of the MESS-U were studied…

Modeling the Influences of Upper-Elementary School Students' Digital Reading Literacy, Socioeconomic Factors, and Self-Regulated Learning Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Shin-Feng

2017-01-01

Background: Reading is an interactive and constructive process of making meaning by engaging a variety of materials and sources and by participating in reading communities at school or in daily life. Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore the factors affecting digital reading literacy among upper-elementary school students. Method: A…

A Hybrid Sport Education-Games for Understanding Striking/Fielding Unit for Upper Elementary Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtner-Smith, Matthew

2004-01-01

This article describes a hybrid Sport Education-Games for Understanding unit through which upper elementary pupils can learn to play basic striking/fielding games. The unit is written for a class of 30 pupils. The twenty-five lesson unit is described in detail within 10 stages: (1) Getting started and early skill, strategy, rule, and role work…

The Death of a Star: Supernova 1987a. NASA Educational Briefs for the Upper Elementary-Level Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC.

This material discusses supernova, the violent death of a massive star, at a level appropriate for upper elementary students. Background information on Supernova 1987a is presented. Observation techniques using visible light, ultraviolet waves, radio waves, neutrinos, X-rays, and gamma-rays are described. A vocabulary list, 11 questions, and 6…

Upper Elementary Reading Instruction in the Age of Accountability: Balancing Best Practices with Pressures to Achieve on High-Stakes Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Christina Henry

2017-01-01

The present study identifies reading instructional practices used in upper elementary classrooms during the age of high-stakes test accountability and compares reading practices among schools of varying accreditation status and socio-economic status (SES). The current study partially replicates and extends a study conducted by Baumann, Hoffman,…

When to Intervene: Elementary School, Middle School or Both? Effects of keepin’ It REAL on Substance Use Trajectories of Mexican Heritage Youth

PubMed Central

Kulis, Stephen; Yabiku, Scott T.; Nieri, Tanya A.; Coleman, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

This article presents the findings of a study exploring two questions: What age is most efficacious to expose Mexican heritage youth to drug abuse prevention interventions, and what dosage of the prevention intervention is needed? These issues are relevant to Mexican heritage youth—many from immigrant families—in particular ways due to the acculturation process and other contextual factors. The study utilized growth curve modeling to investigate the trajectory of recent substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants) among Mexican heritage students (N = 1,670) participating in the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention program at different developmental periods: the elementary school (5th grade), middle school (7th grade), or both. The findings provide no evidence that intervening only in elementary school was effective in altering substance use trajectories from 5th to 8th grade, either for licit nor illicit substances. Implementing keepin’ it REAL in middle school alone altered the trajectories of use of all four substances for Mexican heritage youth. A double dose of prevention, in elementary and middle school proved to be equally as effective as intervening in 7th grade only, and only for marijuana and inhalants. The decrease in use of marijuana and inhalants among students in the 7th-grade-only or the 5th- and 7th-grade interventions occurred just after students received the curriculum intervention in 7th grade. These results are interpreted from an ecodevelopmental and culturally specific perspective and recommendations for prevention and future research are discussed. PMID:21128119

When to intervene: elementary school, middle school or both? Effects of keepin' it REAL on substance use trajectories of Mexican heritage youth.

PubMed

Marsiglia, Flavio F; Kulis, Stephen; Yabiku, Scott T; Nieri, Tanya A; Coleman, Elizabeth

2011-03-01

This article presents the findings of a study exploring two questions: What age is most efficacious to expose Mexican heritage youth to drug abuse prevention interventions, and what dosage of the prevention intervention is needed? These issues are relevant to Mexican heritage youth-many from immigrant families-in particular ways due to the acculturation process and other contextual factors. The study utilized growth curve modeling to investigate the trajectory of recent substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, inhalants) among Mexican heritage students (N = 1,670) participating in the keepin' it REAL drug prevention program at different developmental periods: the elementary school (5th grade), middle school (7th grade), or both. The findings provide no evidence that intervening only in elementary school was effective in altering substance use trajectories from 5th to 8th grade, either for licit nor illicit substances. Implementing keepin' it REAL in middle school alone altered the trajectories of use of all four substances for Mexican heritage youth. A double dose of prevention, in elementary and middle school proved to be equally as effective as intervening in 7th grade only, and only for marijuana and inhalants. The decrease in use of marijuana and inhalants among students in the 7th-grade-only or the 5th- and 7th-grade interventions occurred just after students received the curriculum intervention in 7th grade. These results are interpreted from an ecodevelopmental and culturally specific perspective and recommendations for prevention and future research are discussed.

A Research Study to Determine the Effects of Early Keyboard Use upon Student Development in Occupational Keyboarding. Final Report of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warwood, Byrdeen; And Others

Before students can use microcomputers effectively, they need keyboarding skills. A project was conducted in Montana to teach keyboarding to fourth-grade children using computer-assisted instruction. Two fourth-grade classes at Hawthorne Elementary School, Bozeman, Montana, participated in an 8-week, 32-session elementary keyboarding pilot…

Elementary School Student Burnout Scale for Grades 6-8: A Study of Validity and Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aypay, Ayse

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to develop an "Elementary School Student Burnout Scale for Grades 6-8". The study group included 691 students out of 10 schools in Eskisehir. Both Exploratory Factor Analysis and Confirmatory Factor Analysis were conducted on the data (Burnout stem from school activities, burnout stem from family, feeling of…

An Assessment of Nutrition Education in Selected Counties in New York State Elementary Schools (Kindergarten through Fifth Grade)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watts, Sheldon O.; Pinero, Domingo J.; Alter, Mark M.; Lancaster, Kristie J.

2012-01-01

Objective: To assess the extent to which nutrition education is implemented in selected counties in New York State elementary schools (kindergarten through fifth grade) and explore how nutrition knowledge is presented in the classroom and what factors support it. Design: Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Setting: New York State elementary…

Improving Voting in Ohio through Education. A Voter Education Program for Elementary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celebrezze, Anthony J., Jr.; Walter, Franklin

This resource booklet contains activities for elementary teachers who want to teach their students about voting and the election process. Part I consists of suggestions for conducting an election at different grade levels. All of the elections involve real choices that affect the student (e.g. choice of ice cream flavor or other treat for a class…

Litter Pollution. Operation Waste Watch: The New Three Rs for Elementary School. Grade Two. [Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia State Dept. of Waste Management, Richmond. Div. of Litter & Recycling.

This publication, the third in a series of seven for elementary schools, is an environmental education curriculum guide with a focus on waste management issues. It contains a unit of exercises selected for second grade students to introduce the ideas that littering causes environmental problems, both man-made and natural objects cause litter, and…

Understanding the Impact of Online Grading and Standards-Based Report Cards: A Phenomenological Study on Teacher Instruction at the Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathena, Ann Ashley

2017-01-01

The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to understand the impact of online grading and standards-based report cards on elementary teacher instruction at a suburban school system. This research study examined teacher instruction and assessment, sharing obstacles, and resources necessary for the effective use of…

After Two Years, Three Elementary Math Curricula Outperform a Fourth. NCEE Evaluation Brief. NCEE 2013-4019

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agodini, Roberto; Harris, Barbara; Seftor, Neil; Remillard, Janine; Thomas, Melissa

2013-01-01

This brief aims to help educators understand the implications of math curriculum choice in the early elementary grades by presenting new findings from a study that examined how four math curricula affect students' achievement across two years--from 1st through 2nd grades. The four curricula were (1) Investigations in Number, Data, and Space…

What's in Your Refrigerator? Easy Ways to Spark a Love for Science at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dailey, Debbie

2014-01-01

The enthusiasm for science displayed by students in early elementary grades is unparalleled. If not nurtured in elementary school, the spark for learning science diminishes. Unfortunately, the amount of time spent on science in Grades 1-4 has steadily declined since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In 2012, the National…

Effects of Healthy Life Practice Education on Reported Health Behaviors among Fourth-Grade Elementary School Students in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Shin-Jeong; Cho, Haeryun; Baek, Seong-Sook

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to test the effects of healthy life practice (HLP) education on reported health behaviors, including health promotion, disease prevention, and safety among fourth-grade elementary school students. A quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest design was used. The 101 recruited participants from two schools were assigned to…

The Effect of Smartphone-Delivered Emergency Preparedness Education on Coping Knowledge among Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Elementary Schoolchildren in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Shin-Jeong; Cho, Haeryun

2017-01-01

This study examined the effect of an intervention on coping knowledge among fifth- and sixth-grade elementary schoolchildren who received smartphone-delivered emergency preparedness education. This was a quasi-experimental study using a pre-/posttest design. Eighty-six children were recruited to participate. The children in the experimental group…

Teacher-Student Agreement on "Bullies and Kids They Pick On" in Elementary School Classrooms: Gender and Grade Differences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahn, Hai-Jeong; Rodkin, Philip C.; Gest, Scott

2013-01-01

This article examined teacher-student agreement on the measure: "bullies and kids they pick on" in 38 (15 first, 12 third, and 11 fifth grade) elementary school classrooms. Overall agreement between teachers and students was low, 7.9%. The frequency of bully-victim dyads reported by teachers and victim prominence were positive…

Prevalence of Speech Disorders in Elementary School Students in Jordan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Jazi, Aya Bassam; Al-Khamra, Rana

2015-01-01

Goal: The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of speech (articulation, voice, and fluency) disorders among elementary school students from first grade to fourth grade. This research was based on the screening implemented as part of the Madrasati Project, which is designed to serve the school system in Jordan. Method: A sample of 1,231…

Assessing Decoding Ability: The Role of Speed and Accuracy and a New Composite Indicator to Measure Decoding Skill in Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morlini, Isabella; Stella, Giacomo; Scorza, Maristella

2015-01-01

Tools for assessing decoding skill in students attending elementary grades are of fundamental importance for guaranteeing an early identification of reading disabled students and reducing both the primary negative effects (on learning) and the secondary negative effects (on the development of the personality) of this disability. This article…

Carl: A Case Study of a Gifted Student with Challenging Social Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zapotocky, Robin

2014-01-01

Robin Zapotocky is a first-year teacher in a fifth-grade classroom at Cannaday Elementary in Mesquite ISD, Mesquite TX. She graduated from Baylor University in the gifted and elementary dual certificate program, and first met Carl when she was student teaching in a gifted and talented pullout program for third- and fourth-grade gifted students.…

Recent Trends in Japanese Mathematics Textbooks for Elementary Grades: Supporting Teachers to Teach Mathematics through Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takahashi, Akihiko

2016-01-01

Problem solving has been a major theme in Japanese mathematics curricula for nearly 50 years. Numerous teacher reference books and lesson plans using problem solving have been published since the 1960s. Government-authorized mathematics textbooks for elementary grades, published by six private companies, have had more and more problem solving over…

Assessment of 6th Grade Elementary School Students, Their Parents' and Branch Teachers' Perspective on Physical Education Classes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyraz, Sirin; Ozbar, Nurper; Yetgin, Meral Kucuk; Koksalan, Burke

2015-01-01

A total of 437 volunteers including 54 teachers, 218 6th grade students and 102 parents from Beykoz Elementary Schools participated in this study to understand the perspectives of students, families and teachers on Physical Education classes. The perspectives of students, families and teachers of other branches are identified by survey method.…

The Elementary Bubble Project: Exploring Critical Media Literacy in a Fourth-Grade Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gainer, Jesse S.; Valdez-Gainer, Nancy; Kinard, Timothy

2009-01-01

This article addresses issues surrounding critical media literacy using popular culture texts. The authors focus on the example of their work with a fourth-grade class involved in a project to unpack the messages of popular media and advertising texts. This project, which they call the Elementary Bubble Project, was inspired by guerilla artist Ji…

The NCSS Ethical Standards and Citizenship Education: A Fifth Grade Classroom Example.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Obenchain, Kathryn M.

This paper presents the ethical principles of the social studies profession in light of the daily routine of an elementary classroom. This pilot study was begun in the spring of 1996 when the researcher spent time in an elementary classroom in the midwest observing the life and culture of a fifth grade classroom. Data collected appeared to…

The Artist Image: How Do Children Depict Artists?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oguz, Aysegul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to find out the artist image 5th grade elementary students have in their mind. Study group consisted of 60 students from the 5th grade elementary school in Rize province of Turkey during the 2014 instruction year. For data collection, an interview form was used consisting of 9 questions developed by researcher. An expert…

Social involvement of children with autism spectrum disorders in elementary school classrooms.

PubMed

Rotheram-Fuller, Erin; Kasari, Connie; Chamberlain, Brandt; Locke, Jill

2010-11-01

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are increasingly included in general education classrooms in an effort to improve their social involvement. Seventy-nine children with ASD and 79 randomly selected, gender-matched peers (88.6% male) in 75 early (K-1), middle (2nd-3rd), and late (4th-5th) elementary classrooms across 30 schools completed social network surveys examining each child's reciprocal friendships, peer rejection, acceptance, and social involvement. Across grade levels, peers less frequently reciprocated friendships with children with ASD than students in the matched sample. While children with ASD were not more likely to be rejected by peers, they were less accepted and had fewer reciprocal friendships than matched peers at each grade level. Although 48.1% of children with ASD were involved in the social networks of their classrooms, children with ASD were more likely to be isolated or peripheral to social relationships within the classroom across all grade levels, and this difference is even more dramatic in later elementary grades. In inclusive classrooms, children with ASD are only involved in peers' social relationships about half of the time, and appear to be even less connected with increasing grade level. Promoting children with ASD's skills in popular activities to share with peers in early childhood may be a key preventive intervention to protect social relationships in late elementary school grades. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2010 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Examining Behavioral Risk and Academic Performance for Students Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Kathleen Lynne; Oakes, Wendy Peia; Carter, Erik W.; Messenger, Mallory

2015-01-01

We studied the transition from elementary to middle school for 74 fifth-grade students. Specifically, we examined how behavioral risk evident in the elementary years, as measured by the "Student Risk Screening Scale" (SRSS), impacts students transitioning from elementary to middle school. First, we examined how student risk status shifts…

The validity of two clinical tests of visual-motor perception.

PubMed

Wallbrown, J D; Wallbrown, F H; Engin, A W

1977-04-01

The study investigated the relative efficiency of the Bender and MPD as assessors of achievement-related errors in visual-motor perception. Clinical experience with these two tests suggests that beyond first grade the MPD is more sensitive than the Bender for purposes of measuring deficits in visual-motor perception that interfere with effective classroom learning. The sample was composed of 153 third-grade children from two upper-middle-class elementary schools in a surburban school system in central Ohio. For three of the four achievement criteria, the results were clearly congruent with the hypothesis stated above. That is, SpCD errors from the MPD not only showed significantly higher negative rs with the criteria (reading vocabulary, reading comprehension, and mathematics computation) than Koppitz errors from the Bender, but also accounted for a much higher proportion of the variance in these criteria. Thus, the findings suggest that psychologists engaged in the assessment of older children seriously should consider adding the MPD to their assessment battery.

Neighborhood Characteristics, Parental Practices and Children’s Math Achievement in Elementary School

PubMed Central

Greenman, Emily; Bodovski, Katerina; Reed, Katherine

2014-01-01

This paper investigates the relationships among neighborhood characteristics, education-related parental practices, and children’s academic achievement during a critical but under-studied stage of children’s educational trajectories – the elementary school years. Using a large, nationally representative database of American elementary school students – the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS–K) – and contextual data from the 2000 U.S. Census, we examine parental practices and neighborhood characteristics at the beginning of children’s school careers (grades K-1) and their associations with math achievement through the end of the 5th grade. Findings Net of family-level characteristics, higher levels of early education- oriented parental practices were associated with higher mathematics achievement at the end of 5th grade, while neighborhood disadvantage was associated with lower 5th grade math achievement. Families residing in high poverty, high unemployment, low-education neighborhoods employed fewer education- oriented practices with their kindergarten- first grade children, but the positive effect of such parental practices on children’s mathematics achievement was stronger for children who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. PMID:25125713

Are middle schools harmful? The role of transition timing, classroom quality and school characteristics.

PubMed

Holas, Igor; Huston, Aletha C

2012-03-01

Are middle schools ill-suited for early adolescents, or can school characteristics account for any differences in student functioning? Achievement, school engagement, and perceived competence of children starting middle schools in 5th and 6th grades were compared to those of their same-grade peers in elementary schools in a national, longitudinal sample (NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, n = 855; 52% Female, 82% White). Classroom quality (observed and teacher-reported) and school characteristics (composition and size) were considered as explanations for any relationships between school-level and student functioning. Fifth grade middle school students did not differ from those in elementary school, but students entering middle school in 6th grade, compared to those in elementary school, experienced lower classroom quality, which in turn predicted slightly lower achievement. They also had lower school engagement, explained by larger school size. Classroom quality and school characteristics predicted youth functioning regardless of school type. We suggest reshaping the research and policy debate with renewed focus on classroom quality and school size instead of grade organization.

Race/Ethnicity and Social Capital among Middle- and Upper-Middle-Class Elementary School Families: A Structural Equation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldas, Stephen J.; Cornigans, Linda

2015-01-01

This study used structural equation modeling to conduct a first and second order confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of a scale developed by McDonald and Moberg (2002) to measure three dimensions of social capital among a diverse group of middle- and upper-middle-class elementary school parents in suburban New York. A structural path model was…

The Effects of Reading from the Screen on the Reading Motivation Levels of Elementary 5th Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydemir, Zeynep; Ozturk, Ergun

2012-01-01

This study aims to explore the effects of reading from the screen on elementary 5th grade students' reading motivation levels. It used the randomized control-group pretest-posttest model, which is a true experimental design. The study group consisted of 60 students, 30 experimental and 30 control, who were attending the 5th grade of a public…

The Relationship between Comprehension and Conceptual Mathematics of Third Grade Students at a Selected Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kariuki, Patrick N.; Morris, Dustin A.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between reading comprehension scores and conceptual mathematics scores of third grade students at a selected elementary school. The sample consisted of 27 students of which 15 were females and 12 were males. Data were collected using a teacher made conceptual math exam and the scores from…

Gender-Based Content of Educational Materials for the Study of Serbian Language in Lower-Stage Grades of Elementary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trifunovic, Vesna; Petrovic, Ruzica

2014-01-01

This paper presents the results of analysis of educational materials for the study of Serbian language in lower-stage grades of elementary education (intended for students from 7 through 11 years old) from gender perspective. The first part of the paper presents the process of institutionalization of gender-based education in the Republic of…

Two Traditions in the Social Studies Curriculum for the Elementary Grades: The Textbooks of Paul R. Hanna and Harold O. Rugg

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bisland, Beverly Milner

2009-01-01

In the 1920s and 1930s, Paul R. Hanna and Harold O. Rugg developed new textbooks that integrated social studies curriculum in the elementary grades for the first time. Each author's curriculum; Hanna's expanding environments framework and Rugg's recurring concepts with a focus on contemporary issues has significantly impacted today's elementary…

English Language Arts Scores among Sixth Grade Students Enrolled on an Elementary versus Middle School Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, La-Trice

2013-01-01

A K-12 school district located in southern California was faced with overcrowding at 1of its middle schools for the 2011-2012 school year. This project study was designed to explore if an elementary or middle school campus was best in supporting students' academics while they were in transition to 6th grade middle school. Maslow's hierarchy of…

Gender Representations in the Illustrations of the 6th Grade Language Textbook Used in Greek Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karintzaidis, Nikolaos; Christodoulou, Anastasia; Kyridis, Argyris; Vamvakidou, Ifigeneia

2016-01-01

This study explores the way in which the two sexes are presented in education and particularly in the illustration of the language textbook used in the 6th Grade of Greek elementary school. In a society where gender equality is constitutionally enshrined and displayed as an educational policy objective, it attempts to examine if school textbook…

Framework for Nutrition Education: A Guide for Elementary Teachers, Grades K-6. Bulletin 1976, No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alabama State Dept. of Education, Montgomery. Div. of Administration and Finance.

The purpose of this guide is to provide a framework on which elementary school teachers (K through 6) can build a nutrition program that can be implemented into the existing curriculum. Founded on the importance of early and sound education for instilling good nutrition habits, the guide is divided into three grade levels: K through 2 (Discovering…

Physical Education, Teacher's Guide, Elementary (Grades 1-5).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefevre, M. D.; And Others

This is a guide for teachers of physical education in the elementary schools of Vietnam. It consists of the following chapters: (1) Definition and Objectives of P.E. and the Teacher's Role; (2) Organization and Orientation of the P.E. program; (3) Methods for Teaching P.E.; (4) P.E. for grades 1 to 5; (5) P.E. for handicapped children; (6) Sports.…

Exergaming: Comparison of On-Game and Off-Game Physical Activity in Elementary Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Craig; Benham-Deal, Tami; Jenkins, Jayne M.; Wilson, Margaret

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to describe fifth grade students' physical activity (PA) while playing a dance-based video game, Just Dance 4, and to examine the influence direct feedback about their performance had on their level of activity. Twenty-seven students in the 5th grade from an elementary school in the Rocky Mountain West participated.…

Community Solutions to Solid Waste Pollution. Operation Waste Watch: The New Three Rs for Elementary School. Grade 6. [Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia State Dept. of Waste Management, Richmond. Div. of Litter & Recycling.

This publication, the last in a series of seven for elementary schools, is an environmental education curriculum guide with a focus on waste management issues. It contains a unit of exercises selected for sixth grade students focusing on community solutions to solid waste pollution. Waste management activities included in this unit seek to…

A Phenomenological Study of Transformational and Transactional Leadership Behaviors of Principals in Highly Rated Louisiana Schools Serving Elementary through High School Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Juneau, Cassidy

2014-01-01

The purpose of this phenomenological narrative was to examine the experiences of principals in highly rated schools serving elementary through high school grades in central and southwest Louisiana in regards to transformational and transactional leadership. Highly rated schools are defined as schools achieving an A or B rating under the Louisiana…

Development of a Top-View Numeric Coding Teaching-Learning Trajectory within an Elementary Grades 3-D Visualization Design Research Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sack, Jacqueline J.

2013-01-01

This article explicates the development of top-view numeric coding of 3-D cube structures within a design research project focused on 3-D visualization skills for elementary grades children. It describes children's conceptual development of 3-D cube structures using concrete models, conventional 2-D pictures and abstract top-view numeric…

Elementary School Children with Persistent Emotional Disturbances: A Summary Report of a Study in Onondaga County, N.Y.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Dept. of Mental Hygiene, Albany.

Each of 7,056 children (3,607 boys and 3,449 girls) attending regular elementary school classes were rated by their fourth grade teacher and again by their sixth grade teacher to determine the prevalence of persistent emotional disturbances within the student population of 17 public school districts. Based on teachers' ratings of the student's…

Predictors of the Elementary School Proficiency Exams and Issues of Equality in Educational Facilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdogan, Irfan; Meseci Giorgetti, Filiz; Cifcili, Vakur

2011-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to determine whether school/student, classroom/student, teacher/student ratio, and the Human Development Index (I.G.E.) rates by province predict a province's total 6th and 7th grade Elementary School Proficiency Exam (SBS) scores. To determine the relationships between the province's total 6th and 7th grade SBS…

Effects of Engineering Design-Based Science on Elementary School Science Students' Engineering Identity Development across Gender and Grade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capobianco, Brenda M.; Yu, Ji H.; French, Brian F.

2015-04-01

The integration of engineering concepts and practices into elementary science education has become an emerging concern for science educators and practitioners, alike. Moreover, how children, specifically preadolescents (grades 1-5), engage in engineering design-based learning activities may help science educators and researchers learn more about children's earliest identification with engineering. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which engineering identity differed among preadolescents across gender and grade, when exposing students to engineering design-based science learning activities. Five hundred fifty preadolescent participants completed the Engineering Identity Development Scale (EIDS), a recently developed measure with validity evidence that characterizes children's conceptions of engineering and potential career aspirations. Data analyses of variance among four factors (i.e., gender, grade, and group) indicated that elementary school students who engaged in the engineering design-based science learning activities demonstrated greater improvements on the EIDS subscales compared to those in the comparison group. Specifically, students in the lower grade levels showed substantial increases, while students in the higher grade levels showed decreases. Girls, regardless of grade level and participation in the engineering learning activities, showed higher scores in the academic subscale compared to boys. These findings suggest that the integration of engineering practices in the science classroom as early as grade one shows potential in fostering and sustaining student interest, participation, and self-concept in engineering and science.

Preparing Elementary Prospective Teachers to Teach Early Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hohensee, Charles

2017-01-01

Researchers have argued that integrating early algebra into elementary grades will better prepare students for algebra. However, currently little research exists to guide teacher preparation programs on how to prepare prospective elementary teachers to teach early algebra. This study examines the insights and challenges that prospective teachers…

Learning Physical Science through Astronomy Activities: A Comparison between Constructivist and Traditional Approaches in Grades 3-6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, R. Bruce; Sadler, Philip M.; Shapiro, Irwin I.

We report on an evaluation of the effectiveness of Project ARIES, an astronomy- based physical science curriculum for upper elementary and middle school children. ARIES students use innovative, simple, and affordable apparatus to carry out a wide range of indoor and outdoor hands-on, discovery- based activities. Student journals and comprehensive teacher materials aid in making the science content accessible to students based on their shared experiences and observations. Approximately 750 Grades 3 6 students in ARIES (or treatment) classrooms are compared with approximately 650 Grades 4 6 students in control classrooms through a series of open-ended assessment measures, using a pretest and posttest format. A detailed analysis by item measures the gain in treatment and control groups. We identify concepts where the ARIES approach is more effective, where both are equally effective, and where neither results in much learning. (The ARIES approach was never less effective.) Although learning is in evidence for both control and treatment groups, overall, the ARIES students achieve roughly four times the gain of their control counterparts. In particular, ARIES students had much greater gains for the concepts that the control students found most difficult.

Younger Elementary Students Waste More School Lunch Foods than Older Elementary Students

PubMed Central

Niaki, Shahrbanou F.; Moore, Carolyn E.; Chen, Tzu-An

2016-01-01

Background Children may not receive the nutritional benefits from school lunch meals if they do not eat the foods served. Objective This study investigated whether there were differences in school lunch foods consumed and wasted by grade level of elementary school students. Design In this cross-sectional study, anonymous meal observations were conducted after students selected their reimbursable school lunch meals in the cafeteria lunch line. The amount of foods selected and consumed was recorded using the quarter waste method and food waste was calculated using the information recorded. Participants/setting During the spring of 2013, eight elementary schools (50% low income) enrolling children in kindergarten through grade 5 in one school district in the Houston, Texas area were selected by the Child Nutrition Director. Main outcome measures The amount of kilocalories (kcal) and foods consumed and the percentage wasted were assessed. Statistical analyses performed Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and post hoc analysis were used to examine food consumption and plate waste by grade level [kindergarten and grade 1 (K-Gr1), grade 2 and 3 (Gr2-3) and grade four and five (Gr4-5)], controlling for student sex and school level free/reduced priced meal eligibility (FRP). Results There were 568 nonrandom lunch meal observations of students included in the analyses. Approximately 48% of the observations were from boys; 50% were from low income schools, and were evenly divided by grade. In general, students in K-Gr1 consumed fewer kcal than both Gr2-3 and Gr4-5 students, and Gr2-3 students consumed significantly fewer kcal than Gr4-5 students. K-Gr1 students also consumed less and wasted more total and red-orange vegetables, total/whole/refined grains, and total protein foods than the older students. Gr2-3 students wasted more calories and total grains than Gr4-5 students. K-Gr1 wasted more fruit than Gr2-3 students. Conclusions Overall, younger students in elementary schools (K-Gr1) consumed less of the foods they selected for their lunch meals, and wasted more than older elementary school students. Future studies should investigate why younger children wasted more food and potential strategies to reduce food waste by younger students. PMID:27637576

EQUATIONS AND THE EQUAL SIGN IN ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS.

PubMed

Powell, Sarah R

2012-06-01

To promote a relational understanding of the equal sign (=), students may require exposure to a variety of equation types (i.e., 3 = 8 - 5; 2 + 3 = 1 + 4; 9 - 3 = 6). The purpose of this study was to evaluate 8 elementary curricula for degree of exposure to equation types. Across 6 elementary grade levels, curricula were coded for the number of standard and nonstandard equation types appearing within the student textbook. Except in 1 of the 8 curricula, students typically do not receive exposure to nonstandard equation types that promote a relational understanding of the equal sign. An analysis of the accompanying teacher manual for each textbook suggests that students receive minimal instruction on relational definitions of the equal sign, with the majority of instruction occurring in grades K-2 and minimal instruction provided in grades 3-5.

Waste Away--Information and Activities for Investigating Trash Problems and Solutions for Upper Elementary and Junior High School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermont Inst. of Natural Science, Woodstock.

The solid waste problem is so pervasive that it can no longer be ignored. The purpose of this set of materials is to encourage a lifestyle that includes the use of the three R's: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. It was designed to educate upper elementary and junior high school students who may educate their classmates, families, and community about the…

Alaska Wildlife Week, Upper Elementary Teacher's Guide. Unit 4. We All Need Each Other--The Web of Life. April 20-26, l986.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinlan, Susan E.

The ecological theme of "We all need each other--the web of life" serves as the focus of Alaska's fourth annual wildlife week and as the emphasis for the activities in this guide for upper elementary teachers. The packet of materials contains: (1) an introduction (explaining the theme); (2) table of contents (indicating each lesson's…

Alaska's Living Tundra. Alaska Wildlife Week, 25-29 April 1988. Unit 6: Primary Teacher's Guide; Upper Elementary Teacher's Guide; Junior/Senior High School Teacher's Guide; Supplement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quinlan, Susan E.

Despite its cold and barren appearance, Alaska's tundra supports a surprising variety of insects, birds, and mammals. In this document, three teacher's guides (for primary, upper elementary, and junior and senior high schools) and a supplementary resource packet present a comprehensive unit of study on Alaska's living tundra. The five lessons in…

Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Motivational Regulations and Physical Activity Intention among Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Weiyun

2014-01-01

This study examined the relationship between psychological needs satisfaction, motivational regulations in physical education and physical activity intention among elementary school students. A total of 291 elementary school students in grades 3-6 voluntarily completed the three measures. This study indicated that satisfaction of three basic…

Younger elementary students waste more school lunch foods than older elementary students

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Children may not receive the nutritional benefits from school lunch meals if they do not eat the foods served. This study investigated whether there were differences in school lunch foods consumed and wasted by grade level of elementary school students. In this cross-sectional study, anonymous meal ...

The Effects of Academic Optimism on Elementary Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bevel, Raymona K.; Mitchell, Roxanne M.

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between academic optimism (AO) and elementary reading achievement (RA). Design/methodology/approach: Using correlation and hierarchical linear regression, the authors examined school-level effects of AO on fifth grade reading achievement in 29 elementary schools in Alabama.…

Exploring How an Elementary Teacher Plans and Implements Social Studies Inquiry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thacker, Emma S.; Friedman, Adam M.; Fitchett, Paul G.; Journell, Wayne; Lee, John K.

2018-01-01

Social studies continues to be marginalized in elementary grades, yet the "C3 Framework" and its Inquiry Arc offer possibilities for high-quality elementary social studies instruction. However, the "C3 Framework" requires that teachers possess an adequate understanding of how to implement inquiry within the various social…

Elementary Teachers' Experiences and Perceptions of Departmentalized Instruction: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strohl, Alecia; Schmertzing, Lorraine; Schmertzing, Richard

2014-01-01

This case study investigated elementary teachers' experiences and perceptions during a trial year of departmentalized instruction in a rural south Georgia elementary school. To inform their decision about whole-school departmentalization for the future, school administrators appointed twelve first through third grade teachers to pilot the…

CSRQ Center Report on Elementary School Comprehensive School Reform Models: Educator's Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center for Data-Driven Reform in Education (NJ3), 2008

2008-01-01

Which comprehensive school reform programs have evidence of positive effects on elementary school achievement? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on comprehensive school reform (CSR) models in elementary schools, grades K-6. Comprehensive school reform models are programs used schoolwide to improve student achievement. They typically…

Urban Elementary Students' Views of Environmental Scientists, Environmental Caretakers and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horne, Patricia Lynne

2010-01-01

The purpose of this research was to determine the nature of the relationship between urban elementary fifth graders, environmental workers, and the environment. The study examined 320 urban fifth grade elementary students' drawings of environmental scientists (DAEST) and environmental caretakers (DAECT). Additionally, semi-structured interviews…

Military Deployment and Elementary Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps, Terri; Dunham, Mardis; Lyons, Robert

2010-01-01

This study investigated the impact that military deployment has upon academic achievement of elementary school students. TerraNova test scores of 137 fourth and fifth grade students in two elementary schools with a high proportion of military dependent children were examined for two consecutive years. Although the academic test performance fell…

Elementary General Music Teachers' Reflections on Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delaney, Diane W.

2011-01-01

A qualitative study was completed to identify and study the content of selected elementary general music teachers' evaluations of their own instruction and the instruction of another elementary general music teacher. Participants represented a variety of educational backgrounds and teaching experience: Teacher A (9 years teaching Grades 4-6 at…

Prospective Elementary Teachers' Development of Fraction Number Sense

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utley, Juliana; Reeder, Stacy

2012-01-01

Can prospective elementary teachers "unlearn" harmful algorithms used with fractions as they are invited to develop fraction number sense? This study examined the development of prospective elementary teachers' fraction number sense during an intermediate (grades 5-8) mathematics methods course. During this course, participants' were involved in a…

Introducing Technology Education at the Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKnight, Sean

2012-01-01

Many school districts are seeing a need to introduce technology education to students at the elementary level. Pennsylvania's Penn Manor School District is one of them. Pennsylvania has updated science and technology standards for grades 3-8, and after several conversations the author had with elementary principals and the assistant superintendent…

Exploring Plant and Animal Content in Elementary Science Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schussler, Elisabeth E.; Link-Perez, Melanie A.; Weber, Kirk M.; Dollo, Vanessa H.

2010-01-01

Student knowledge about plants is typically less than student knowledge about animals. Textbooks are a commonly-used curriculum material in elementary grades and contain embedded cultural ideologies that may impact instruction. This study analyzed two nationally-syndicated elementary science textbook series to explore their presentation of plant…

A Multi-Method Investigation of Mathematics Motivation for Elementary Age Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linder, Sandra M.; Smart, Julie B.; Cribbs, Jennifer

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of a multi-method study examining elementary students with high self-reported levels of mathematics motivation. Second- through fifth-grade students at a Title One school in the southeastern United States completed the Elementary Mathematics Motivation Instrument (EMMI), which examines levels of mathematics…

Third Grade Elementary Students' Perception of Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demir, Metin

2015-01-01

The current study investigated which dimensions of scientific process are capitalized on by elementary school third graders to explain the concept of science at conceptual level. The study was conducted by using "Basic Qualitative Research", one of the qualitative research approaches with the participation of 225 elementary school third…

Cypriot Urban Elementary Students' Attitude toward Physical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Constantinides, Panos; Silverman, Stephen

2018-01-01

Purpose: This study examined the attitudes of Cypriot elementary school students toward physical education. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade students (N = 763) from six urban Cypriot elementary schools completed an attitude instrument. Methods: Adapting the attitude instrument for Greek-speaking students an extensive two-step pilot study showed the…

Reciprocal Relationships between Mathematics Anxiety and Attitude towards Mathematics in Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haciomeroglu, Guney

2017-01-01

This current study examined the reciprocal relationship between anxiety and attitude towards mathematics in elementary students. Two instruments (attitudes towards mathematics inventory short form [ATMI-Short Form] and the Revised Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Anxiety Scale [Revised-FSMAS]) were administered to 310 fourth grade elementary students.…

Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission's Red Planet program: Bridging the gap in elementary school science through climate studies of Mars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wood, E. L.

2012-12-01

Although reading, writing, and math examinations are often conducted early in elementary school, science is not typically tested until 4th or 5th grade. The result is a refocus on the tested topics at the expense of the untested ones, despite that standards exist for each topic at all grades. On a national level, science instruction is relegated to a matter of a few hours per week. A 2007 Education Policy study states that elementary school students spend an average of 178 minutes a week on science while spending 500 minutes on literacy. A recent NSTA report in July of 2011 of elementary and middle school teachers confirms that teachers feel pressured to teach math and literacy at the expense of other programs. In our interaction with elementary teachers, it is also apparent that many are uncomfortable with science concepts. In order for us to successfully address the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers must be able to reconcile all of the different requirements placed on them in a given school day and in a given school environment. A unique way to combat the lack of science instruction at elementary grades is to combine literacy into an integrated science program, thereby increasing the number of science contact hours. The Red Planet: Read, Write, Explore program, developed for the MAVEN mission, is a science, art, and literacy program designed to easily fit into a typical 3rd-5th grade instructional day. Red Planet tackles climate change through Mars' geologic history and makes Mars-Earth comparisons, while encouraging students to reflect on the environmental requirements needed to keep a biological organisms (including humans) happy, healthy, and alive. The Red Planet program is currently being pilot tested at Acres Green Elementary School in Colorado.

Music Handbook for Primary Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bowman, Doris; And Others

GRADES OR AGES: Primary grades (1, 2, and 3). SUBJECT MATTER: Music. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: This guide contains a detailed outline of the basic music concepts for elementary grades with suggestions for activities which may develop understanding of the concepts. The pages of activities are color coded by grade level. There are three…

The Attitude of the Students towards the Value of "Paying Attention to Being Healthy" in 4th Grade Elementary Social Sciences Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tahiroglu, Mustafa; Cetin, Turhan

2012-01-01

This study was aimed to define the teaching of the value of "Paying Attention to Being Healthy" in 4th grade elementary Social Sciences course and to determine the students' attitude towards this value. To reach this goal, activities to teach the value of paying attention to being healthy were prepared and conducted. The effect of these…

Does Value-Added Work Better in Elementary than in Secondary Grades? What We Know Series: Value-Added Methods Applications. Knowledge Brief 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Douglas N.; Anderson, Andrew

2013-01-01

There is a growing body of research on the validity and reliability of value-added measures, but most of this research has focused on elementary grades. Driven by several federal initiatives such as Race to the Top, Teacher Incentive Fund, and ESEA waivers, however, many states have incorporated value-added measures into the evaluations not only…

A Quantitative Study of the Use of "DreamBox Learning" and Its Effectiveness in Improving Math Achievement of Elementary Students with Math Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grams, Devonee

2018-01-01

Math underachievement is of grave concern with 42% of 4th grade and 36% of 8th grade students achieving at a proficient or advanced level in mathematics, and schools are continually searching for interventions to implement with struggling students. The problem addressed in this study is recently an elementary school purchased access to…

Report to the Palau Ministry of Education on the Mathematics Project at Harris, Maris Stella, and Meyuns Elementary Schools, 1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Irvin L.; Emesiochl, Masa-Aki

Since 1985, the students in grades 2-8 in three selected elementary schools in Palau have been tested on basic math skills. This report describes the data collected in May 1993 and indicates the relative strengths and weaknesses of students at each grade level in each school. Major outcomes include: (1) the students at Harris School scored…

A Literature-Based Basal Reader's Effects on Student Achievement: An Evaluation of Literature-Based Basal Textbook Adoption at Terre Town Elementary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burk, Anne

An ex post facto study examined third grade students' achievement test scores both before and after the adoption of a literature-based basal reading text. The experimental groups consisted of five third grade classes at Terre Town Elementary School (Indiana) for each of the years 1988 through 1993. Mean scores were plotted and data were visually…

Examining Differentiation and Utilization of iPads across Content Areas in an Independent, PreK-4th Grade Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milman, Natalie B.; Carlson-Bancroft, Angela; Vanden Boogart, Amy

2014-01-01

This mixed methods case study examined the implementation of a 1:1 iPad initiative in a suburban, co-educational, independent, preK-4th grade elementary school in the United States. This article focuses on how teachers used iPads to differentiate instruction and across multiple content areas. Findings show the processes by which teachers employed…

Does Text Complexity Matter in the Elementary Grades? A Research Synthesis of Text Difficulty and Elementary Students' Reading Fluency and Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Amendum, Steven J.; Conradi, Kristin; Hiebert, Elfrieda

2018-01-01

Prompted by the advent of new standards for increased text complexity in elementary classrooms in the USA, the current integrative review investigates the relationships between the level of text difficulty and elementary students' reading fluency and reading comprehension. After application of content and methodological criteria, a total of 26…

ELEMENTARY SCIENCE OUTLINE, A GUIDE TO SUGGESTED CURRICULUM PRACTICES IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

KARTSOTIS, A. THOMAS; MESSERSCHMIDT, RALPH M.

THE COMMITTEE ON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SCIENCE OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY SCHOOL STUDY COUNCIL REPORTS THEIR WORK ON SUGGESTED CURRICULUM FOR GRADES 1-6. THE BELIEF IS THAT SCIENCE IS A MAJOR STUDY AREA IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AND SHOULD BE TAUGHT TO ALL PUPILS IN A PLANNED LEARNING SEQUENCE, WITH DUE CONSIDERATION BEING GIVEN TO THE MATURITY OF THE CHILD.…

Comparison of Academic Achievement Levels of Students Beginning the Elementary School at Different Ages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çankaya, Ibrahim; Dag, Mehmet

2017-01-01

This study aims to make a comparison of various lessons' mean exam scores achieved at the first, second, third and fourth grade by students who started elementary school at 60-66 months and those who started at or above 69 months as these students started the elementary school at the same time after an amendment in elementary education law in…

Exploring How Second Grade Elementary Teachers Translate Their Nature of Science Views into Classroom Practice After a Graduate Level Nature of Science Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deniz, Hasan; Adibelli, Elif

2015-12-01

The main purpose of this study was to explore the factors mediating the translation of second grade teachers' nature of science (NOS) views into classroom practice after completing a graduate level NOS course. Four second grade in-service elementary teachers comprised the sample of this study. Data were collected from several sources during the course of this study. The primary data sources were (a) assessment of the elementary teachers' NOS views before and after the graduate level NOS course using the Views of Nature of Science Questionnaire Version B (VNOS-B) (Lederman et al., 2002) coupled with interviews, and (b) a classroom observation and videotaped recording of the elementary teachers' best NOS lessons coupled with interview. We identified three distinct but related factors that mediated the translation of NOS views into classroom practice: the teachers' perspectives about the developmental appropriateness of the NOS aspect, the teachers' selection of target NOS aspects, and the relative importance placed by teachers on each NOS aspect.

Social Contact Networks and Mixing among Students in K-12 Schools in Pittsburgh, PA

PubMed Central

Guclu, Hasan; Read, Jonathan; Vukotich, Charles J.; Galloway, David D.; Gao, Hongjiang; Rainey, Jeanette J.; Uzicanin, Amra; Zimmer, Shanta M.; Cummings, Derek A. T.

2016-01-01

Students attending schools play an important role in the transmission of influenza. In this study, we present a social network analysis of contacts among 1,828 students in eight different schools in urban and suburban areas in and near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, including elementary, elementary-middle, middle, and high schools. We collected social contact information of students who wore wireless sensor devices that regularly recorded other devices if they are within a distance of 3 meters. We analyzed these networks to identify patterns of proximal student interactions in different classes and grades, to describe community structure within the schools, and to assess the impact of the physical environment of schools on proximal contacts. In the elementary and middle schools, we observed a high number of intra-grade and intra-classroom contacts and a relatively low number of inter-grade contacts. However, in high schools, contact networks were well connected and mixed across grades. High modularity of lower grades suggests that assumptions of homogeneous mixing in epidemic models may be inappropriate; whereas lower modularity in high schools suggests that homogenous mixing assumptions may be more acceptable in these settings. The results suggest that interventions targeting subsets of classrooms may work better in elementary schools than high schools. Our work presents quantitative measures of age-specific, school-based contacts that can be used as the basis for constructing models of the transmission of infections in schools. PMID:26978780

Social Contact Networks and Mixing among Students in K-12 Schools in Pittsburgh, PA.

PubMed

Guclu, Hasan; Read, Jonathan; Vukotich, Charles J; Galloway, David D; Gao, Hongjiang; Rainey, Jeanette J; Uzicanin, Amra; Zimmer, Shanta M; Cummings, Derek A T

2016-01-01

Students attending schools play an important role in the transmission of influenza. In this study, we present a social network analysis of contacts among 1,828 students in eight different schools in urban and suburban areas in and near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America, including elementary, elementary-middle, middle, and high schools. We collected social contact information of students who wore wireless sensor devices that regularly recorded other devices if they are within a distance of 3 meters. We analyzed these networks to identify patterns of proximal student interactions in different classes and grades, to describe community structure within the schools, and to assess the impact of the physical environment of schools on proximal contacts. In the elementary and middle schools, we observed a high number of intra-grade and intra-classroom contacts and a relatively low number of inter-grade contacts. However, in high schools, contact networks were well connected and mixed across grades. High modularity of lower grades suggests that assumptions of homogeneous mixing in epidemic models may be inappropriate; whereas lower modularity in high schools suggests that homogenous mixing assumptions may be more acceptable in these settings. The results suggest that interventions targeting subsets of classrooms may work better in elementary schools than high schools. Our work presents quantitative measures of age-specific, school-based contacts that can be used as the basis for constructing models of the transmission of infections in schools.

Kinetics of throwing arm joints and the trunk motion during an overarm distance throw by skilled Japanese elementary school boys.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Yasuto; Ae, Michiyoshi; Miyazaki, Akiyo; Fujii, Norihisa; Iiboshi, Akira; Nakatani, Hideki

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate joint kinetics of the throwing arms and role of trunk motion in skilled elementary school boys during an overarm distance throw. Throwing motions of 42 boys from second, fourth, and sixth grade were videotaped with three high-speed cameras operating at 300 fps. Seven skilled boys from each grade were selected on the basis of throwing distance for three-dimensional kinetic analysis. Joint forces, torques, and torque powers of the throwing arm joints were calculated from reconstructed three-dimensional coordinate data smoothed at cut-off frequencies of 10.5-15 Hz and by the inverse dynamics method. Throwing distance and ball velocity significantly increased with school grade. The angular velocity of elbow extension before ball release increased with school grade, although no significant increase between the grades was observed in peak extension torque of elbow joint. The joint torque power of shoulder internal/external rotation tended to increase with school grade. When teaching the overarm throw, elementary school teachers should observe large backward twisting of trunk during the striding phase and should keep in mind that young children, such as second graders (age 8 years), will be unable to effectively utilise shoulder external/internal rotation during the throwing phase.

Opening Pandora's Box: Texas Elementary Campus Administrators use of Educational Policy And Highly Qualified Classroom Teachers Professional Development through Data-informed Decisions for Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Linda Lou

Federal educational policy, No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, focused attention on America's education with conspicuous results. One aspect, highly qualified classroom teacher and principal (HQ), was taxing since states established individual accountability structures. The HQ impact and use of data-informed decision-making (DIDM) for Texas elementary science education monitoring by campus administrators, Campus Instruction Leader (CILs), provides crucial relationships to 5th grade students' learning and achievement. Forty years research determined improved student results when sustained, supported, and focused professional development (PD) for teachers is available. Using mixed methods research, this study applied quantitative and qualitative analysis from two, electronic, on-line surveys: Texas Elementary, Intermediate or Middle School Teacher Survey(c) and the Texas Elementary Campus Administrator Survey(c) with results from 22.3% Texas school districts representing 487 elementary campuses surveyed. Participants selected in random, stratified sampling of 5th grade teachers who attended local Texas Regional Collaboratives science professional development (PD) programs between 2003-2008. Survey information compared statistically to campus-level average passing rate scores on the 5th grade science TAKS using Statistical Process Software (SPSS). Written comments from both surveys analyzed with Qualitative Survey Research (NVivo) software. Due to the level of uncertainty of variables within a large statewide study, Mauchly's Test of Sphericity statistical test used to validate repeated measures factor ANOVAs. Although few individual results were statistically significant, when jointly analyzed, striking constructs were revealed regarding the impact of HQ policy applications and elementary CILs use of data-informed decisions on improving 5th grade students' achievement and teachers' PD learning science content. Some constructs included the use of data-warehouse programs; teachers' applications of DIDM to modify lessons for differentiated science instruction, the numbers of years' teachers attended science PD, and teachers' influence on CILs staffing decisions. Yet CILs reported 14% of Texas elementary campuses had limited or no science education programs due to federal policy requirement for reading and mathematics. Three hypothesis components were supported and accepted from research data resulted in two models addressing elementary science, science education PD, and CILs impact for federal policy applications.

Science of Alcohol Curriculum for American Indians (SACAI): An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of the Science of Alcohol for Upper Elementary and Middle Level Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Indian Science and Engineering Society, Boulder, CO.

This curriculum provides American Indian youth with a framework for learning about the effects of alcohol on the body and the community. The curriculum stresses the development of scientific thinking skills and was designed for upper elementary and middle level students. The guide consists of four units: How Does Alcohol Circulate through the Body…

The Effects of Note-Taking Skills Instruction on Elementary Students' Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Wan-Chen; Ku, Yu-Min

2015-01-01

The authors investigated the effects of a 5-week note-taking skills instructional program on note-taking and reading comprehension performance of elementary students. The participants included 349 fourth-grade students from 2 elementary schools in Taiwan. The Note-Taking Instruction group received approximately 40 min of note-taking skills…

A Learning Progression for Feedback Loop Reasoning at Lower Elementary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hokayem, Hayat; Ma, Jingjing; Jin, Hui

2015-01-01

This study examines to what extent elementary students use feedback loop reasoning, a key component of systems thinking, to reason about interactions among organisms in ecosystems. We conducted clinical interviews with 44 elementary students (1st through 4th grades). We asked students to explain how populations change in two contexts: a…

Powerful Social Studies Teaching with Poetry and Primary Sources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sell, Corey Ranshaw; Griffin, Krista

2017-01-01

Given the current marginalization of the social studies within elementary classrooms it is vital that elementary educators seek integrative techniques that promote the social studies. This article explores one such example of integration taught by the authors within an elementary classroom. The three-day lesson taught to fifth-grade students aimed…

Elementary Teachers' Experiences of Departmentalized Instruction and Its Impact on Student Affect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minott, Robert Charles

2016-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative dissertation was to explore the lived experiences of departmentalized elementary teachers, Grades 1-3, and how they addressed their students' affective needs. The main research question of the study was how do elementary school teachers perceive departmentalized instruction and describe their experiences of this…

Media Presentations on the Reading Attention and Comprehension of Taiwanese Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ku, David Tawei; Cheng, Yu-Mei

2016-01-01

We adopted an experimental design to investigate the effects of various media presentation modes on the reading attention and comprehension of Taiwanese elementary school students. The participants comprised 138 students from 4 classes of third grade elementary school students from New Taipei City, Taiwan. The participants attended 5 short stories…

Finding the Hook: Computer Science Education in Elementary Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozturk, Zehra; Dooley, Caitlin McMunn; Welch, Meghan

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary teachers with little knowledge of computer science (CS) and project-based learning (PBL) experienced integrating CS through PBL as a part of a standards-based elementary curriculum in Grades 3-5. The researchers used qualitative constant comparison methods on field notes and reflections…

The Predictors of Internet Addiction Behaviours for Taiwanese Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lan, Chu M.; Lee, Yu H.

2013-01-01

Although there has been considerable research which has explored factors related to internet addiction, few studies have investigated elementary school students' involvement in this behaviour pattern. Participants in the present study were 1045 children in grades 3 to 6 from elementary schools in Taiwan. Students completed surveys on their use of…

Elementary Children's Retrodictive Reasoning about Earth Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Libarkin, Julie C.; Schneps, Matthew H.

2012-01-01

We report on interviews conducted with twenty-one elementary school children (grades 1-5) about a number of Earth science concepts. These interviews were undertaken as part of a teacher training video series designed specifically to assist elementary teachers in learning essential ideas in Earth science. As such, children were interviewed about a…

A Review of Elementary School-Based Substance Use Prevention Programs: Identifying Program Attributes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hopfer, S.; Davis, D.; Kam, J. A.; Shin, Y.; Elek, E.; Hecht, M. L.

2010-01-01

This article takes a systematic approach to reviewing substance use prevention programs introduced in elementary school (K-6th grade). Previous studies evaluating such programs among elementary school students showed mixed effects on subsequent substance use and related psychosocial factors. Thirty published evaluation studies of 24 elementary…

Saxon Elementary School Math. Revised. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2007

2007-01-01

"Saxon Elementary School Math," published by Harcourt Achieve, is a core curriculum for students in kindergarten through grade 5. A distinguishing feature of "Saxon Elementary School Math" is its use of a distributed approach, as opposed to a chapter-based approach, for instruction and assessment. The program is built on the…

The Investigation of Elementary Mathematics Teacher Candidates' Problem Solving Skills According to Various Variables

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaya, Deniz; Izgiol, Dilek; Kesan, Cenk

2014-01-01

The aim was to determine elementary mathematics teacher candidates' problem solving skills and analyze problem solving skills according to various variables. The data were obtained from total 306 different grade teacher candidates receiving education in Department of Elementary Mathematics Education, Buca Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylul…

Departmentalized, Self-Contained, or Somewhere in Between: Understanding Elementary Grade-Level Organizational Decision-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Audra; Rakes, Lori; Arndt, Katie

2017-01-01

Recent trends indicate a move away from self-contained classrooms and toward content-focused departmentalization in elementary schools. This study takes a snapshot of the existing organizational structures used in elementary schools in one district and explores administrators' beliefs and practices regarding this phenomenon. Our findings suggest…

Digital fabrication as an instructional technology for supporting upper elementary and middle school science and mathematics education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tillman, Daniel

The purpose of this three-paper manuscript dissertation was to study digital fabrication as an instructional technology for supporting elementary and middle school science and mathematics education. Article one analyzed the effects of digital fabrication activities that were designed to contextualize mathematics education at a summer mathematics enrichment program for upper elementary and middle school students. The primary dependent variables studied were the participants' knowledge of mathematics and science content, attitudes towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and STEM-related careers. Based upon the data collected, three results were presented as having justifiable supporting empirical evidence: (1) The digital fabrication activities, combined with the other mathematics activities at the enrichment program, resulted in non-significant overall gains in students' mathematics test scores and attitudes towards STEM. (2) The digital fabrication activities, combined with the other mathematics activities at the enrichment program, resulted in noteworthy gains on the "Probability & Statistics" questions. (3) Some students who did poorly on the scored paper test on mathematics and science content were nonetheless nominated by their teachers as demonstrating meritorious distinction during the digital fabrication activities (termed "Great Thinkers" by the 5th-grade teachers). Article two focused on how an instructional technology course featuring digital fabrication activities impacted (1) preservice elementary teachers' efficacy beliefs about teaching science, and (2) their attitudes and understanding of how to include instructional technology and digital fabrication activities into teaching science. The research design compared two sections of a teaching with technology course featuring digital fabrication activities to another section of the same course that utilized a media cycle framework (Bull & Bell, 2005) that did not feature digital fabrication activities. Based upon analysis of the data collected, two main results were determined to have justifiable supporting empirical evidence: (1) After the instructional technology course featuring digital fabrication activities, the participants reported statistically significant overall gains in science teaching efficacy beliefs. (2) When asked to describe their future plans for using three instructional technologies in their teaching, the top five most mentioned instructional technologies were: interactive whiteboards, video, class website, interactive online timeline, and digital fabrication. Of the participants that mentioned digital fabrication, the specific content areas mentioned were: history (four out of eight students mentioned), social studies (two out of eight), and science, math, engineering, and technology were each mentioned once. Article three assessed the impact of a series of lessons incorporating a NASA-themed transmedia book featuring digital fabrication activities on 5th-grade students who had been recognized as advanced in mathematics. The main dependent variables studied were the students' knowledge of science content from the Virginia Standards of Learning, attitude towards science, and student reported likes and dislikes about the project. Based upon analysis of the data collected, three main results were presented: (1) Students demonstrated significant positive gains in correct answers to questions on the topic of "Force, Matter, Energy, & Motion" from pretest to posttest. (2) There were nonsignificant gains reported by students on the attitude survey questions about attitude towards science, but this was chiefly because of one question that was significantly impacted in a negative direction. (3) Students articulated five main categories of likes and six main categories of dislikes of the experience, thereby providing insight into their own perception of some of the affordances and constraints of the educational activities. The five topics mentioned most often by students as self-reported likes about the experience included: hands-on activities including building, making, or designing (18 of 29 students mentioned; 62.1%), experimenting (9 of 29; 31.0%), presenting (9 of 29; 31.0%), drawing (6 of 29; 20.7%), and working in groups (6 of 29; 20.7%). The six topics most mentioned by students as self-reported dislikes about the experience included: taking tests (13 of 29 students mentioned; 44.8%), drawing (7 of 29; 24.1%), confusing / too fast (4 of 29; 13.8%), class discussions (4 of 29; 13.8%), reviewing (4 of 29; 13.8%), and attitude surveys (4 of 29; 13.8%). Cumulatively these three articles aim to contribute to the body of research studying the impact of digital fabrication as an instructional technology for supporting upper elementary and middle school science and mathematics education. This goal is described in greater detail in the "Manuscript Theme" section that begins on the next page. Keywords: STEM, digital fabrication, upper elementary science education, contextual mathematics, modeling-based science instruction, transmedia books, performance assessment, preservice elementary teacher education, science teaching efficacy beliefs

Changes in cognitive functions of students in the transitional period from elementary school to junior high school.

PubMed

Mizuno, Kei; Tanaka, Masaaki; Fukuda, Sanae; Sasabe, Tetsuya; Imai-Matsumura, Kyoko; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2011-05-01

When students proceed to junior high school from elementary school, rapid changes in the environment occur, which may cause various behavioral and emotional problems. However, the changes in cognitive functions during this transitional period have rarely been studied. In 158 elementary school students from 4th- to 6th-grades and 159 junior high school students from 7th- to 9th-grades, we assessed various cognitive functions, including motor processing, spatial construction ability, semantic fluency, immediate memory, delayed memory, spatial and non-spatial working memory, and selective, alternative, and divided attention. Our findings showed that performance on spatial and non-spatial working memory, alternative attention, divided attention, and semantic fluency tasks improved from elementary to junior high school. In particular, performance on alternative and divided attention tasks improved during the transitional period from elementary to junior high school. Our finding suggests that development of alternative and divided attention is of crucial importance in the transitional period from elementary to junior high school. Copyright © 2010 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Impact of the Implementation of the Behavior Intervention Support CHAMPS on Reading Achievement, Discipline Referrals, and Number of Suspensions amongst Students Grades Third through Fifth within a Large Suburban Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Jennifer L.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of Randy Spricks (2009) behavior intervention support model, CHAMPS (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation, Success), on elementary students in third through fifth grade in the areas of reading achievement, discipline referrals, and suspension numbers within a large culturally…

The Level of Diagnostic Tests' Preparation Skills among the Teachers of the First Three Elementary Grades' Teachers at the Directorate of Education of Bani Kinana District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaghmour, Kholoud Subhi; Obaidat, Luai Taleb; Hamadneh, Qaseem Mohammad

2016-01-01

This study aimed at exploring the level of Diagnostic Tests' Preparation Skills among the teachers of the first Three Elementary Grades at the Directorate of Education of Bani Kinana District, and its relationship to the variables of gender, academic qualification, and years of experience. The sample of the study consisted of (264) male and female…

An Overview of Mission 21. A Program Designed To Assist Teachers in Integrating Technology into Their Present Curriculum through a Problem-Solving Approach. Grades 1 through 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brusic, Sharon A.; And Others

This booklet presents an overview of Mission 21, a project that promotes technological literacy in the elementary school classroom. Funded since 1985, Mission 21 has enabled graduate research associates and Virginia teachers to write and field test a technology education program for children in grades 1 through 6. Over 30 elementary teachers in 11…

The Relationship of Values in Elementary School 4th Grade Social Studies Textbook with the Attainments and Their Level of Being Included in Student Workbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kilic, Abdurrahman

2012-01-01

In this study, the relationship of values in elementary school 4th grade Social Studies textbook with the attainments and their level of being included in student workbook are tried to be determined. Case study, which is a qualitative research method, was applied for this research. To collect data, document analysis technique, which is among the…

The Dilemma of Inclusion: Is Full Inclusion Ethical? An Examination of the Culture of Special Education within a Semi-Rural Pre-K to Sixth Grade Elementary School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Press, Kandie A.

2010-01-01

At its core the political push for full inclusion models of special education delivery derives from the belief that inclusion provides equal access, equitable distribution of resources and increased social opportunity to children. This study focused upon the evolution of special education programming within a pre-K to sixth grade elementary school…

ORGANIZING SCHOOLS THROUGH THE DUAL PROGRESS PLAN--TRYOUTS OF A NEW PLAN FOR ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOLS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

HEATHERS, GLEN

DURING THE FIVE YEAR PERIOD, 1958-63, A DEMONSTRATION TEST OF THE DUAL PROGRESS PLAN WAS CONDUCTED IN GRADES 3 THROUGH 6 OF THE NINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND IN GRADES 7 AND 8 OF THE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN LONG BEACH AND OSSINING, NEW YORK. RELATED TRYOUTS OF THE PLAN WERE MADE IN 14 OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE PLAN INVOLVES…

Predicting Handwriting Legibility in Taiwanese Elementary School Children.

PubMed

Lee, Tzu-I; Howe, Tsu-Hsin; Chen, Hao-Ling; Wang, Tien-Ni

This study investigates handwriting characteristics and potential predictors of handwriting legibility among typically developing elementary school children in Taiwan. Predictors of handwriting legibility included visual-motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP), eye-hand coordination (EHC), and biomechanical characteristics of handwriting. A total of 118 children were recruited from an elementary school in Taipei, Taiwan. A computerized program then assessed their handwriting legibility. The biomechanics of handwriting were assessed using a digitizing writing tablet. The children's VMI, VP, and EHC were assessed using the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration. Results indicated that predictive factors of handwriting legibility varied in different age groups. VMI predicted handwriting legibility for first-grade students, and EHC and stroke force predicted handwriting legibility for second-grade students. Kinematic factors such as stroke velocity were the only predictor for children in fifth and sixth grades. Copyright © 2016 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Changes in the Relation Between Competence Beliefs and Achievement in Math Across Elementary School Years.

PubMed

Weidinger, Anne F; Steinmayr, Ricarda; Spinath, Birgit

2018-03-01

Math competence beliefs and achievement are important outcomes of school-based learning. Previous studies yielded inconsistent results on whether skill development, self-enhancement, or reciprocal effects account for the interplay among them. A development-related change in the direction of their relation in the early school years might explain the inconsistency. To test this, 542 German elementary school students (M = 7.95 years, SD = 0.58) were repeatedly investigated over 24 months from Grade 2 to Grade 4. Math competence beliefs declined and had a growing influence on subsequent math grades. This suggests changes in the dominant direction of the relation from a skill development to a reciprocal effects model during elementary school. Findings are discussed with regard to their theoretical and practical implications. © 2017 The Authors. Child Development © 2017 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

EQUATIONS AND THE EQUAL SIGN IN ELEMENTARY MATHEMATICS TEXTBOOKS

PubMed Central

Powell, Sarah R.

2012-01-01

To promote a relational understanding of the equal sign (=), students may require exposure to a variety of equation types (i.e., 3 = 8 − 5; 2 + 3 = 1 + 4; 9 − 3 = 6). The purpose of this study was to evaluate 8 elementary curricula for degree of exposure to equation types. Across 6 elementary grade levels, curricula were coded for the number of standard and nonstandard equation types appearing within the student textbook. Except in 1 of the 8 curricula, students typically do not receive exposure to nonstandard equation types that promote a relational understanding of the equal sign. An analysis of the accompanying teacher manual for each textbook suggests that students receive minimal instruction on relational definitions of the equal sign, with the majority of instruction occurring in grades K–2 and minimal instruction provided in grades 3–5. PMID:22707760

The association of ADHD symptoms and reading acquisition during elementary school years.

PubMed

Ehm, Jan-Henning; Kerner Auch Koerner, Julia; Gawrilow, Caterina; Hasselhorn, Marcus; Schmiedek, Florian

2016-09-01

The present longitudinal study aimed to investigate the influence of ADHD symptoms on reading development in elementary schoolchildren. To this end, repeated assessments of ADHD symptoms (teacher ratings of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity) and reading achievement (standardized tests of decoding speed and text comprehension) were examined in a sample comprising 2,014 elementary schoolchildren at the end of Grades 1, 2, 3, respectively, and in the middle of Grade 4. Latent change score models revealed that the level of ADHD symptoms was associated with lower levels and less growth in decoding speed and text comprehension. Furthermore, individual differences in changes in ADHD symptoms and reading performance were negatively associated. Together, these results indicate commonalities in the development of ADHD symptomatology and reading achievement throughout elementary school. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

What goal is of most worth? The effects of the implementation of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills on elementary science teaching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodgers, Pamela England

This qualitative, narrative study centered on the effects of the implementation of the science portion of the fifth grade Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) on the instruction of science at the elementary level, grades one through five. Fourteen teachers and five administrators were interviewed at two elementary schools (kindergarten through grade four) and one middle school (grades five and six). Classroom observations of each of the teachers were also conducted. The study focused on the effect of the implementation of the science TAKS on the amount of time spent on science as well as the instructional methods utilized in the elementary science classroom. Lower grade levels were found to have changed little in these areas unless strong administrative leadership---emphasizing curriculum alignment, providing adequate materials and facilities, and encouraging sustained, content-based professional development in science---was present in the school. At the fifth grade level, however, the amount of time spent on science had increased significantly, although the instructional methods utilized by the teachers were focused more often upon increasing ratings on the test rather than providing the research-based best practice methods of hands-on, inquiry-based science instruction. In addition, the study also explored the teachers' and administrators' perceptions of the state and local mandates concerning science instruction and preparation for the TAKS. Other topics that came to light during the course of the study included the teachers' views on accountability and the effects of the state assessments on children in their classrooms. It was found that most teachers readily accept accountability for themselves, but are opposed to one-shot high-stakes tests which they feel are damaging for their students emotionally and academically---adversely affecting their love of learning science.

Does contact by a family nurse practitioner decrease early school absence?

PubMed

Kerr, Jill; Price, Marva; Kotch, Jonathan; Willis, Stephanie; Fisher, Michael; Silva, Susan

2012-02-01

Chronic early school absence (preschool through third grade) is associated with school failure. The presence of school nurses may lead to fewer absences, and nurse practitioners in school-based health centers (SBHCs) can facilitate a healthier population resulting in improved attendance. Efforts to get students back to school are unexplored in nursing literature. This article describes a nursing intervention to decrease early school absence in two elementary schools K-3 (N = 449) and a Head Start program (N = 130). The Head Start Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) contacted families of chronically and excessively absent students by telephone, clinic visit at school, or home visit. The aggregate percentage attendance was evaluated by grades (preschool to third grade), schools (Head Start, Elementary Schools 1 and 2), and grades and schools and compared with publicly available school district aggregate data. There were statistically significant increases in attendance from Year 1 to Year 2 at p < .05 at the elementary level but not at the Head Start level. Student demographics, types of contacts, absence reasons (including sick child), and medical diagnoses are described.

The Timing of Grade Skipping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Yi-Lung; Lohman, David F.

2011-01-01

The purposes of this study were to investigate the following: (a) the impact of sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family income on the likelihood of whole-grade skipping between kindergarten and Grade 7 and (b) the effects of grade skipping during elementary or middle school on students' academic achievement in high school. The authors…

Reproducibility of the School-Based Nutrition Monitoring Questionnaire among Fourth-Grade Students in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penkilo, Monica; George, Goldy Chacko; Hoelscher, Deanna M.

2008-01-01

Objective: To assess reproducibility of a School-Based Nutrition Monitoring (SBNM) questionnaire for fourth-grade students. Design: Test-retest. Setting: Fourth-grade elementary school classrooms. Participants: Multiethnic fourth-grade students from 2 area school districts (N = 322). Main Outcome Measures: Reproducibility coefficients with time…

STS-127 Crew Visit to Anne Beers Elementary

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-09-23

Thomas Tate, a third grade student at Anne Beers Elementary school, asks a question following a presentation by the crew of STS-127, Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009, in Washington. Photo Credit: (NASA/Paul E. Alers)

One Point of View: Elementary School Mathematics Specialists: Where Are They?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dossey, John A.

1984-01-01

A plea is made for the mathematics education community to support the need for elementary school mathematics specialists. Roles of such specialists in primary as well as intermediate grades are listed. (MNS)

Matematicas Para La Escuela Primaria, Grado 4 (Parte 1), Comentario. Traduccion Preliminar de la Edicion en Ingles Revisada. (Mathematics for the Elementary School, Grade 4, Part 1, Teacher's Commentary. Preliminary Translation of the Revised English Edition).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beatty, Leslie; And Others

This is Part 1 of the teacher's commentary for the grade 4 mathematics program. Part 1 includes the commentary for chapters 1 through 5. Topics covered include congruence, numbers and number bases, subtraction of numbers, division of numbers, and elementary geometry. References to the student text are cited. (RH)

A Comparison of the Development of Self-Concept and Achievement in Reading of Students in the First, Third, and Fifth Year of Attendance in Graded and Nongraded Elementary Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawson, Robert Ewell

The purpose of this study was to compare the development of self-concept and achievement in reading of students in the first, third, and fifth year of attendance in graded and nongraded schools. The population of this study was composed of 338 selected students from six elementary schools in Kokomo, Indiana, and the experimental group was composed…

Longitudinal Analysis of the Trajectories of Academic and Social Motivation across the Transition from Elementary to Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madjar, Nir; Cohen, Veronique; Shoval, Gal

2018-01-01

School transitions are important phases in students' educational experiences. The current study aimed to explore the trajectories of academic and social motivation across the transition from elementary to middle school. Participants (N = 415) were sampled from six elementary schools; 55% transitioned after sixth grade (transition) and 45% remained…

Social Activism in Elementary Science Education: A Science, Technology, and Society Approach to Teach Global Warming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lester, Benjamin T.; Ma, Li; Lee, Okhee; Lambert, Julie

2006-01-01

As part of a large-scale instructional intervention research, this study examined elementary students' science knowledge and awareness of social activism with regard to an increased greenhouse effect and global warming. The study involved fifth-grade students from five elementary schools of varying demographic makeup in a large urban school…

Anxiety in Elementary School-Aged Students: A Growing Need for Interventions by Classroom Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Carla-Dyann

2013-01-01

Anxiety symptoms expressed by elementary school-aged students was a problem in an elementary school south of Atlanta, Georgia. These behaviors were negatively impacting the performance and behaviors of fourth and fifth grade students in and out of the educational environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if teaching anxiety reduction…

An Evaluation of Elementary School Mathematics Programs Utilizing the Mini-Calculator.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Patricia; Virgin, A. E.

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement, attitudes, and teaching/learning experiences in mathematics programs of two groups of elementary-school students in grades 5 and 6. Approximately 150 students in each of two elementary schools were given as a pretest a standardized mathematics achievement test and a questionnaire regarding…

System Thinking Skills at the Elementary School Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Assaraf, Orit Ben-Zvi; Orion, Nir

2010-01-01

This study deals with the development of system thinking skills at the elementary school level. It addresses the question of whether elementary school students can deal with complex systems. The sample included 40 4th grade students from one school in a small town in Israel. The students studied an inquiry-based earth systems curriculum that…

READING PERFORMANCE OF ELEMENTARY STUDENT TEACHERS IN A DEVELOPING INSTITUTION.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

ADAMS, EFFIE KAYE

A STUDY WAS CONDUCTED AT BISHOP COLLEGE, DALLAS, TEXAS, TO EXAMINE THE READING NEEDS OF PROSPECTIVE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS. SCORES ON THE NELSON DENNY READING TESTS, ADVANCED FORM A, ON THE OTIS QUICK SCORING TESTS OF MENTAL ABILITY, GAMMA FORM BM, AND GRADE POINT AVERAGES COVERING 4 YEARS OF COLLEGE WORK WERE ANALYZED FOR 29 NEGRO ELEMENTARY STUDENT…

Fostering Third-Grade Students' Use of Scientific Models with the Water Cycle: Elementary Teachers' Conceptions and Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vo, Tina; Forbes, Cory T.; Zangori, Laura; Schwarz, Christina V.

2015-01-01

Elementary teachers play a crucial role in supporting and scaffolding students' model-based reasoning about natural phenomena, particularly complex systems such as the water cycle. However, little research exists to inform efforts in supporting elementary teachers' learning to foster model-centered, science learning environments. To address this…

Peer and Teacher Preference, Student-Teacher Relationships, Student Ethnicity, and Peer Victimization in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Feihong; Leary, Kevin A.; Taylor, Lorraine C.; Derosier, Melissa E.

2016-01-01

The authors examined the effects of peer preference and teacher preference for students, students' perceived relationship with their teacher and student ethnicity on peer victimization in late elementary school. Participants were students in the third through fifth grades in four public elementary schools in a southern state. Using hierarchical…

Project A+, Elementary Technology Demonstration Schools, 1991-92: The Second Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Todd; Frazer, Linda

The Elementary Technology Demonstration Schools program, where four elementary schools were equipped with computer hardware and software, was made possible by grants from IBM and Apple, Inc. The goals of the program were, in 3 years, to reduce by 50% the number of students not in their age appropriate grade level and those students not achieving…

Never Arrive: Teachers Reflect on a CES Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiri, Helen; Ayers, Pamela

2007-01-01

What is a Coalition elementary school? In the Chesapeake Coalition of Essential Schools network, each of its schools has made meaning of the ten Common Principles in very different ways. Many of the network's elementary schools have grown into fine examples of what CES brings to pre-kindergarten through fifth grade schooling. Principals, teachers,…

Measurement Invariance and Validity of a Brief Questionnaire on Reading Motivation in Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stutz, Franziska; Schaffner, Ellen; Schiefele, Ulrich

2017-01-01

In order to initiate more research on the role of reading motivation during the initial stages of learning to comprehend texts, we developed the "Reading Motivation Questionnaire for Elementary Students" (RMQ-E). The sample comprised 1497 elementary students in Grades 1-3. By means of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, three…

Confronting Barriers to Teaching Elementary Science: After-School Science Teaching Experiences for Preservice Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cartwright, Tina; Smith, Suzanne; Hallar, Brittan

2014-01-01

This qualitative study examines the transition of eight elementary preservice teachers into student teaching after participating in a science methods course that included a significant amount of teaching after-school science to elementary grade students. These eight participants had a chance to practice teaching inquiry-based science and to reform…

Teachers' Perceptions of Policy Influences on Science Instruction with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaver, Annis; Cuevas, Peggy; Lee, Okhee; Avalos, Mary

2007-01-01

This study asked elementary school teachers how educational policies affected their science instruction with a majority of English language learners. The study employed a questionnaire followed by focus group interviews with 43 third and fourth grade teachers from six elementary schools in a large urban school district with high populations of…

Comparing the Effects of Elementary Music and Visual Arts Lessons on Standardized Mathematics Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

King, Molly Elizabeth

2016-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to compare the effect elementary music and visual arts lessons had on third through sixth grade standardized mathematics test scores. Inferential statistics were used to compare the differences between test scores of students who took in-school, elementary, music instruction during the…

Peer and Teacher Preference, Student-Teacher Relationships, Student Ethnicity, and Peer Victimization in Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Feihong; Leary, Kevin A.; Taylor, Lorraine C.; Derosier, Melissa E.

2016-01-01

We examined the effects of peer preference and teacher preference for students, students' perceived relationship with their teacher and student ethnicity on peer victimization in late elementary school. Participants were students in the third through fifth grades in four public elementary schools in a southern state. Using hierarchical linear…

Promoting Elementary School Students' Autonomous Reading Motivation: Effects of a Teacher Professional Development Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Naeghel, Jessie; Van Keer, Hilde; Vansteenkiste, Maarten; Haerens, Leen; Aelterman, Nathalie

2016-01-01

Responding to the declining trend in reading motivation in and beyond the elementary school years, the authors aimed to enhance late-elementary school students' autonomous reading motivation. Toward this end, the authors evaluated the influence of a teacher professional development grounded in self-determination theory on fifth-grade students' (n…

The Development and Validation of a Diagnostic Assessment of Algebraic Thinking Skills for Students in the Elementary Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ralston, Nicole C.

2013-01-01

Elementary school students often exhibit a wide variety of different conceptions associated with algebraic thinking that their teachers fail to recognize or understand (Smith, diSessa, & Roschelle, 1994). It is crucial that elementary school teachers possess knowledge of the variety of different student conceptions and also boast abilities to…

Developing Worksheet (LKS) Base on Process Skills in Curriculum 2013 at Elementary School Grade IV,V,VI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subhan, M.; Oktolita, N.; Kn, M.

2018-04-01

The Lacks of students' skills in the learning process is due to lacks of exercises in the form of LKS. In the curriculum of 2013, there is no LKS as a companion to improve the students' skills. In order to solve those problem, it is necessary to develop LKS based on process skills as a teaching material to improve students' process skills. The purpose of this study is to develop LKS Process Skills based elementary school grade IV, V, VI which is integrated by process skill. The development of LKS can be used to develop the thematic process skills of elementary school students grade IV, V, VI based on curriculum 2013. The expected long-term goal is to produce teaching materials LKS Process Skill based of Thematic learning that is able to develop the process skill of elementary school students grade IV, V, VI. This development research refers to the steps developed by Borg & Gall (1983). The development process is carried out through 10 stages: preliminary research and gathering information, planning, draft development, initial test (limited trial), first product revision, final trial (field trial), product operational revision, Desemination and implementation. The limited subject of the this research is the students of SDN in Dharmasraya grade IV, V, VI. The field trial subjects in the experimental class are the students of SDN Dharmasraya grade IV, V, VI who have implemented the curriculum 2013. The data are collected by using LKS validation sheets, process skill observation sheets, and Thematic learning test (pre-test And post-test). The result of LKS development on the validity score is 81.70 (very valid), on practical score is 83.94 (very practical), and on effectiveness score is 86.67 (very effective). In the trial step the use of LKS using One Group Pretest-Posttest Design research design. The purpose of this trial is to know the effectiveness level of LKS result of development for improving the process skill of students in grade IV, V, and VI of elementary school. The data collection in this research uses the test result sheet of the process skill through pre-test and post-test. Observation results were analyzed with SPSS 16.0 software. The Result of analysis learning process of student skill of Sig value. (2-tailed) (0,000) <α (0.005) then H0 is rejected. There is a significant difference to the development of process skills between students using LKS with students who do not use LKS. It can be concluded that LKS have accuracy, ease and can improve result learn on aspect of skill process of student of grade IV, V and VI elementary school.

Impact of Low Social Preference on the Development of Depressive and Aggressive Symptoms: Buffering by Children's Prosocial Behavior.

PubMed

He, Jin; Koot, Hans M; Buil, J Marieke; van Lier, Pol A C

2017-12-19

Holding a low social position among peers has been widely demonstrated to be associated with the development of depressive and aggressive symptoms in children. However, little is known about potential protective factors in this association. The present study examined whether increases in children's prosocial behavior can buffer the association between their low social preference among peers and the development of depressive and aggressive symptoms in the first few school years. We followed 324 children over 1.5 years with three assessments across kindergarten and first grade elementary school. Children rated the (dis)likability of each of their classroom peers and teachers rated each child's prosocial behavior, depressive and aggressive symptoms. Results showed that low social preference at the start of kindergarten predicted persistent low social preference at the start of first grade in elementary school, which in turn predicted increases in both depressive and aggressive symptoms at the end of first grade. However, the indirect pathways were moderated by change in prosocial behavior. Specifically, for children whose prosocial behavior increased during kindergarten, low social preference in first grade elementary school no longer predicted increases in depressive and aggressive symptoms. In contrast, for children whose prosocial behavior did not increase, their low social preference in first grade elementary school continued to predict increases in both depressive and aggressive symptoms. These results suggest that improving prosocial behavior in children with low social preference as early as kindergarten may reduce subsequent risk of developing depressive and aggressive symptom.

Promoting Fitness and Safety in Elementary Students: A Randomized Control Study of the Michigan Model for Health.

PubMed

O'Neill, James M; Clark, Jeffrey K; Jones, James A

2016-07-01

In elementary grades, comprehensive health education curricula have demonstrated effectiveness in addressing singular health issues. The Michigan Model for Health (MMH) was implemented and evaluated to determine its impact on nutrition, physical fitness, and safety knowledge and skills. Schools (N = 52) were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions. Participants received MMH with 24 lessons in grade 4 and 28 more lessons in grade 5 including material focusing on nutrition, physical fitness, and safety attitudes and skills. The 40-minute lessons were taught by the classroom teacher who received curriculum training and provided feedback on implementation fidelity. Self-report survey data were collected from the fourth-grade students (N = 1983) prior to the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and 6 weeks after the intervention, with the same data collection schedule repeated in fifth grade. Analysis of the scales was conducted using a mixed-model approach. Students who received the curriculum had better nutrition, physical activity, and safety skills than the control-group students. Intervention students also reported higher consumption of fruits; however, no difference was reported for other types of food consumption. The effectiveness of the MMH in promoting fitness and safety supports the call for integrated strategies that begin in elementary grades, target multiple risk behaviors, and result in practical and financial benefits to schools. © 2016, American School Health Association.

Written narrative practices in elementary school students.

PubMed

Romano-Soares, Soraia; Soares, Aparecido José Couto; Cárnio, Maria Silvia

2010-01-01

Promotion of a written narratives production program in the third grade of an Elementary School. To analyze two written narrative practice proposals in order to verify which resources are more efficient in benefitting the textual productions of third grade Elementary School students. Sixty students were selected from two third grade groups of a public Elementary School in São Paulo (Brazil). For the analysis, students were divided into two groups (Group A and Group B). Fourteen children's storybooks were used. In Group A, the story was orally told by the researchers in a colloquial manner, keeping the narrator role and the original structure proposed by the author. In Group B, the story was fully read. The book was projected onto a screen and read aloud so the students could follow the reading and observe the corresponding illustrations. Voice changing resources in the characters' dialogues were used. In the overall comparison, statistically significant results were found for moment (initial and final assessments) and for interaction between groups. It was observed that both groups presented substantial development from initial to final assessment. The Written Narratives Promotion Program based on the shared reading of children's storybooks constituted a more effective strategy than telling the stories using a single reader.

"An adjective is a word hanging down from a noun": learning to write and students with learning disabilities.

PubMed

Harris, Karen R; Graham, Steve

2013-04-01

By the upper elementary grades, writing becomes an essential tool both for learning and for showing what you know. Students who struggle significantly with writing are at a terrible disadvantage. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that only 25% of students can be classified as competent writers; students with learning disabilities (LD) have even greater problems with writing than their normally achieving peers and frequently demonstrate a deteriorating attitude toward writing after the primary grades. In this article, we focus on composing and the writing process, and examine the knowledge base about writing development and instruction among students with LD. We address what research tells us about skilled writers and the development of writing knowledge, strategies, skill, and the will to write, and how this relates to students with LD. Next, we summarize what has been learned from research on writing development, effective instruction, and the writing abilities of students with LD in terms of effective instruction for these students. Finally, we indicate critical areas for future research.

Students' development of astronomy concepts across time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plummer, Julia Diane

2006-02-01

The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) recommend that students understand the apparent patterns of motion of the sun, moon and stars visible by the end of early elementary school. However, little information exists on students' knowledge of apparent celestial motion or instruction in this area. The goals of this dissertation were to describe children's knowledge of apparent celestial motion across elementary and middle school, explore early elementary students' ability to learn these topics through planetarium instruction, and begin the development of a learning progression for these concepts, First, third, and eighth grade students (N=60) were interviewed using a planetarium-like setting that allowed the students to demonstrate their ideas both verbally and with their own motions on an artificial sky. Analysis of these interviews suggests that students are not making the types of observations of the sky necessary to learn apparent celestial motion and any instruction they may have received has not helped them reach an accurate understanding of most topics. Most students at each grade level could not accurately describe the patterns of motion. Though the older students were more accurate in most of their descriptions than the younger students, in several areas the eighth grade students showed no improvement over the third grade students. The use of kinesthetic learning techniques in a planetarium program was also explored as a method to improve understanding of celestial motion. Pre- and post-interviews were conducted with participants from seven classes of first and second grade students (N=63). Students showed significant improvement in all areas of apparent celestial motion covered by the planetarium program and surpassed the middle school students' understanding of these concepts in most areas. This suggests that students in early elementary school are capable of learning the accurate description of apparent celestial motion. The results demonstrate the value of both kinesthetic learning techniques and the rich visual environment of the planetarium for improved understanding of celestial motion. Based on the results of these studies, I developed a learning progression describing how children may progress through successively more complex ways of understanding apparent celestial motion across elementary grades.

The Integration of Creative Drama in an Inquiry-Based Elementary Program: The Effect on Student Attitude and Conceptual Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrix, Rebecca; Eick, Charles; Shannon, David

2012-01-01

Creative drama activities designed to help children learn difficult science concepts were integrated into an inquiry-based elementary science program. Children (n = 38) in an upper elementary enrichment program at one primary school were the participants in this action research. The teacher-researcher taught students the Full Option Science…

The Theme's The Thing!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaidel, Lisa Brusman

1991-01-01

Presents suggestions to help elementary teachers organize learning centers and activities around the themes of Peter Rabbit (Grade 1), weather (Grade 3), and bees (Grade 5). Suggestions are given for activities in centers for listening/reading, language arts, computers, math, science, cooperative learning, research, and writing. (SM)

The Effects of Various Middle-Grade Configurations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sailor, Perry

This paper summarizes research relevant to the Austin Independent School District's proposal to move sixth graders from an elementary school (K-6 or K,4-6) to a middle school (6-8) grade grouping. A summary of the evolution of middle-grade education is presented. Three areas affected by grade organization are discussed: academic achievement,…

K-12 Science Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reading Community Schools, OH.

GRADES OR AGES: K-12. SUBJECT MATTER: Science. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide is divided into three sections, one each for elementary grades, middle grades, and high school. The first two sections are further subdivided by grade level and the last section is subdivided by course. Sections are laid out in four columns across two…

Graded Course of Study, Science (K-12).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Euclid City Schools, OH.

This course of study specifies the science skills and concepts that are to be taught in the various grades of the Euclid (Ohio) City Schools. Included are instructional objectives for the life, physical, and earth sciences for grades K to 6, suggested field trips and planetarium schedules (by elementary grade levels), and scope and sequence charts…

Elementary Teachers' Grading Practices and Perceptions in Communicating Assessment of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thoendel, Shannon A.

2017-01-01

Grading reform has been a major focus in school districts across the country (Guskey & Jung, 2012). Reporting student achievement through grades can have a lasting and profound impact on a student's academic career. Grades are often considered to have little relationship to student performance (Brookhart, 2004; O'Connor 2016). Grading…

Lesson Plans for Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pangrazi, Robert P.; Dauer, Victor P.

GRADES OR AGES: Kindergarten through grade six. SUBJECT MATTER: Physical education. ORGANIZATION AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE: The guide contains one set of lesson plans for grades kindergarten through two and another for grades three through six, each of which is broken down into four activity parts: (1) introductory activities, (2) fitness…

The Case of Lobster Shell Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hollen, Shawna; Toney, Jaime L.; Bisaccio, Daniel; Haberstroh, Karen Marie; Herbert, Timothy

2011-01-01

The authors combined content-driven and inquiry-based lessons into the framework of problem-based learning (PBL). They did this in eight third- through sixth-grade classrooms--two each from grades 3-5, one from sixth grade, and one mixed-grade special education. These older elementary students explored a local problem of lobsters infected by…

Reducing Excessive Absenteeism among First Grade Public School Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doty, Jeanice J.

An elementary school teacher designed and implemented a program intended to reduce excessive absenteeism among first grade public school students. The program consisted of four basic parts: (1) perusal of attendance cards and grade books prior to treatment; (2) implementaton of treatment; (3) post-perusal of attendance cards and grade books; and…

The Benefits of Standards-Based Grading: A Critical Evaluation of Modern Grading Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iamarino, Danielle L.

2014-01-01

This paper explores the methodology and application of an assessment philosophy known as standards-based grading, via a critical comparison of standards-based grading to other assessment philosophies commonly employed at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels of education. Evidenced by examples of increased student engagement and…

Grade Level Differences in Factors of Self-Esteem

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kokenes, Barbara

1974-01-01

Investigated the construct validity of the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory, using approximately 1500 elementary school students. Also investigated grade level differences in preadolescent and adolescent children. (Author/ED)

Are Elementary School Teachers Prepared to Tackle Bullying? A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oldenburg, Beau; Bosman, Rie; Veenstra, René

2016-01-01

The aim of this pilot study was to investigate to what extent elementary school teachers were prepared to tackle bullying. Interview data from 22 Dutch elementary school teachers (M[subscript age]?=?43.3, 18 classrooms in eight schools) were combined with survey data from 373 students of these teachers (M age?=?10.7, grades 3-6, ages 8- to…

Equations and the Equal Sign in Elementary Mathematics Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, Sarah R.

2012-01-01

To promote a relational understanding of the equal sign (=), students may require exposure to a variety of equation types (i.e., 3 = 8 - 5; 2 + 3 = 1 + 4; 9 - 3 = 6). The purpose of this study was to evaluate 8 elementary curricula for degree of exposure to equation types. Across 6 elementary grade levels, curricula were coded for the number of…

Documentation to the NCES Common Core of Data Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey: School Year 2003-04. NCES 2006-324

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sable, Jennifer; Thomas, Jane Moy; Shen, Quansheng

2006-01-01

The Public Elementary/Secondary School Universe Survey Data provides information about schools such as: type of school (special education, vocational education, charter, magnet); students by grade, race/ethnicity and gender; free lunch eligibility; and classroom teachers. All data are for public elementary and secondary schools for the 2003-04…

An Evaluation of Changes in the Curriculum in Elementary School Level in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helvaci, M. Akif

2009-01-01

The aim of this study is to evaluate the changes in the curriculum of 1-5 grades in Elementary Schools and the efficiency of school administrator in managing change in the change process. The questionnaire was applied to the school administrators for the elementary schools of Usak province of Turkiye. The questionnaire comprises 3 open-ended…

Application of Stochastic Learning Theory to Elementary Arithmetic Exercises. Technical Report No. 302. Psychology and Education Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, William J.

The application of a linear learning model, which combines learning theory with a structural analysis of the exercises given to students, to an elementary mathematics curriculum is examined. Elementary arithmetic items taken by about 100 second-grade students on 26 weekly tests form the data base. Weekly predictions of group performance on…

Effects of Sustained Teacher Professional Development on the Classroom Science Instruction of Elementary School Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hauck, Nancy

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which sustained teacher professional development in science education affects the classroom instruction of elementary school teachers in third through sixth grade over a 3-year period. The teachers in the study were all elementary endorsed and prepared to be generalists in the content areas.…

Shoring Up Math and Science in the Elementary Grades: Schools Enlist Specialists to Teach Science Lessons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Linda

2004-01-01

As science gets squeezed in the elementary curriculum, at least two Florida districts are trying a new approach to keeping hands-on lessons a part of pupils' experiences. This article reports how Broward and Palm Beach county districts have increased the number of science specialists working in their elementary schools--teachers who, like physical…

Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale: Development and Initial Validation with Urban Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ji, Peter; DuBois, David L.; Flay, Brian R.

2013-01-01

The Social-Emotional and Character Development Scale (SECDS) is intended as a measure of social-emotional skills and character for elementary school-age children. This study investigated the measure's psychometric properties using data collected over 5 waves for a cohort of students followed from Grades 3 to 5 in 14 urban elementary schools (N…

Elementary School Students Perception Levels of Problem Solving Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yavuz, Günes; Yasemin, Deringöl; Arslan, Çigdem

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to reveal the perception levels of problem solving skills of elementary school students. The sample of the study is formed by totally 264 elementary students attending to 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade in a big city in Turkey. Data were collected by means of "Perception Scale for Problem Solving Skills" which…

Assessing the State of Servant Leadership, Teacher Morale, and Student Academic Performance Outcomes in a Florida Elementary School District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EL-Amin, Abdul

2013-01-01

This descriptive research study was conducted to determine the state of perceived teacher morale and student academic performance as measured by fourth-grade reading and math scores among four elementary schools defined by the servant leadership score of each principal in this Florida elementary school district. While related research from other…

Promoting Reading Achievement and Countering the "Fourth-Grade Slump": The Impact of Direct Instruction on Reading Achievement in Fifth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stockard, Jean

2010-01-01

Previous research has documented a substantial decline of standardized test scores of children from low-income backgrounds, relative to more advantaged peers, in later elementary grades, the so-called "fourth-grade slump." This article examines changes in reading achievement from first to fifth grade for students in a large urban school…

Combinatorial complexity of pathway analysis in metabolic networks.

PubMed

Klamt, Steffen; Stelling, Jörg

2002-01-01

Elementary flux mode analysis is a promising approach for a pathway-oriented perspective of metabolic networks. However, in larger networks it is hampered by the combinatorial explosion of possible routes. In this work we give some estimations on the combinatorial complexity including theoretical upper bounds for the number of elementary flux modes in a network of a given size. In a case study, we computed the elementary modes in the central metabolism of Escherichia coli while utilizing four different substrates. Interestingly, although the number of modes occurring in this complex network can exceed half a million, it is still far below the upper bound. Hence, to a certain extent, pathway analysis of central catabolism is feasible to assess network properties such as flexibility and functionality.

Preservice Teachers' Perspectives on 'Appropriate' K-8 Climate Change and Environmental Science Topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ford, D. J.

2013-12-01

With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NRC, 2013), climate change and related environmental sciences will now receive greater emphasis within science curricula at all grade levels. In grades K-8, preparation in foundational content (e.g., weather and climate, natural resources, and human impacts on the environment) and the nature of scientific inquiry will set the groundwork for later learning of climate change in upper middle and high school. These rigorous standards increase pressure on elementary and middle school teachers to possess strong science content knowledge, as well as experience supporting children to develop scientific ideas through the practices of science. It also requires a set of beliefs - about children and the science that is appropriate for them - that is compatible with the goals set out in the standards. Elementary teachers in particular, who often have minimal preparation in the earth sciences (NSF, 2007), and entrenched beliefs about how particular topics ought to be taught (Holt- Reynolds, 1992; Pajares, 1992), including climate change (Bryce & Day, 2013; Lambert & Bleicher, 2013), may face unique challenges in adjusting to the new standards. If teachers hold beliefs about climate change as controversial, for example, they may not consider it an appropriate topic for children, despite its inclusion in the standards. On the other hand, those who see a role for children in efforts to mitigate human impacts on the environment may be more enthusiastic about the new standards. We report on a survey of preservice K-8 teachers' beliefs about the earth and environmental science topics that they consider to be appropriate and inappropriate for children in grades K-3, 4-5, and 6-8. Participants were surveyed on a variety of standards-based topics using terminology that signals publicly and scientifically neutral (e.g. weather, ecosystems) to overtly controversial (evolution, global warming) science. Results from pilot data indicate that preservice teachers show interest in teaching children basic environmental science and conservation, but less interest in climate change science. Implications for instructors of both education and science courses will be discussed. We argue that it is important to consider not just the content taught to preservice teachers to prepare them for science teaching, but the ways in which we engage their beliefs about that content in relation to their beliefs about the capabilities of elementary and middle school learners.

Economics in the Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelton, Dave

1976-01-01

Fourth and fifth grade students at Bulman Elementary School, Redford, Michigan, learn economics concepts by selling potato chips: company stocks are sold and part of the profit is invested in a student-run bank which has checking accounts and issues monthly statements. (AV)

The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents

PubMed Central

Mazzone, Luigi; Ducci, Francesca; Scoto, Maria Cristina; Passaniti, Eleonora; D'Arrigo, Valentina Genitori; Vitiello, Benedetto

2007-01-01

Background Anxiety symptoms are relatively common among children and adolescents and can interfere with functioning. The prevalence of anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and school performance were examined among elementary, middle, and high school students. Methods Samples of elementary (N = 131, age 8–10 years), middle (N = 267, age 11–13 years), and high school (N = 80, age 14–16 years) children were recruited from four public schools in a predominantly middle-class community in Catania, Italy. Children completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). T-scores were computed for the MASC total scores, and considered to be in the anxious range if 65 or above. Current academic grades were obtained from school records. Results Of the 478 children, 35 (7.3%) had a MASC T-score in the anxious range. The rate of children in the anxious range was 2.3% in elementary, 7.9% in middle, and 15.9% in high school (χ2 = 7.8, df = 2, p < 0.05), and was 14.1% among students with insufficient grades, 9.4% among those with sufficient grades, and 3.9% among those with good or very good grades (χ2 = 11.68, df = 2, p < 0.01). Conclusion In this community sample of children and adolescents attending elementary through high school, the prevalence of abnormally high self-reported levels of anxiety increased in frequency with age and was negatively associated with school performance. PMID:18053257

The role of anxiety symptoms in school performance in a community sample of children and adolescents.

PubMed

Mazzone, Luigi; Ducci, Francesca; Scoto, Maria Cristina; Passaniti, Eleonora; D'Arrigo, Valentina Genitori; Vitiello, Benedetto

2007-12-05

Anxiety symptoms are relatively common among children and adolescents and can interfere with functioning. The prevalence of anxiety and the relationship between anxiety and school performance were examined among elementary, middle, and high school students. Samples of elementary (N = 131, age 8-10 years), middle (N = 267, age 11-13 years), and high school (N = 80, age 14-16 years) children were recruited from four public schools in a predominantly middle-class community in Catania, Italy. Children completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). T-scores were computed for the MASC total scores, and considered to be in the anxious range if 65 or above. Current academic grades were obtained from school records. Of the 478 children, 35 (7.3%) had a MASC T-score in the anxious range. The rate of children in the anxious range was 2.3% in elementary, 7.9% in middle, and 15.9% in high school (chi2 = 7.8, df = 2, p < 0.05), and was 14.1% among students with insufficient grades, 9.4% among those with sufficient grades, and 3.9% among those with good or very good grades (chi2 = 11.68, df = 2, p < 0.01). In this community sample of children and adolescents attending elementary through high school, the prevalence of abnormally high self-reported levels of anxiety increased in frequency with age and was negatively associated with school performance.

The Role of Executive Function in Children’s Competent Adjustment to Middle School

PubMed Central

Jacobson, Lisa A.; Williford, Amanda P.; Pianta, Robert C.

2012-01-01

Executive function (EF) skills play an important role in children’s cognitive and social functioning. These skills develop throughout childhood, concurrently with a number of developmental transitions and challenges. One of these challenges is the transition from elementary into middle-level schools, which has the potential to significantly disrupt children’s academic and social trajectories. However, little is known about the role of EF in children’s adjustment during this transition. This study investigated the relation between children’s EF skills, assessed both before and during elementary school, and sixth grade academic and social competence. In addition, the influences of the type of school setting attended in sixth grade on children’s academic and behavioral outcomes were examined. EF assessed prior to and during elementary school significantly predicted sixth grade competence, as rated by teachers and parents, in both academic and social domains, after controlling for background characteristics. The interactions between type of school setting and EF skills were significant: parents tended to report more behavioral problems and less regulatory control in children with weaker EF skills who were attending middle school. In contrast, teachers reported greater academic and behavioral difficulty in students with poorer EF attending elementary school settings. In conclusion, children’s performance-based EF skills significantly affect adjustment to the academic and behavioral demands of sixth grade, with parent report suggesting greater difficulty for children with poorer EF in settings where children are provided with less external supports (e.g., middle school). PMID:21246422

Arizona Traffic Safety Education, K-8. Grade 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mesa Public Schools, AZ.

One in a series designed to assist Arizona elementary and junior high school teachers in developing children's traffic skills, this curriculum guide for grade 4 deals with the how and why of traffic safety. Based on the introduction to highway safety rules and laws that students have mastered in grades K through 3, the program for grades 4 through…

Resolving Conflicts. Lawyers Helping Young People Become Good Citizens.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

American Bar Association, Chicago, IL. Special Committee on Youth Education for Citizenship.

Organized around the theme of conflict resolution, this booklet provides teachers and lawyers with classroom materials for elementary grades K-3 (Level A), intermediate grades 4-6 (Level B), middle school grades 6-8 (Level C), and high school grades 9-12 (Level D). In addition, each level contains pages for the lawyer (marked by the scales of…

Arizona Traffic Safety Education, K-8. Grade 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mesa Public Schools, AZ.

One in a series designed to assist Arizona elementary and junior high school teachers in developing children's traffic skills, this curriculum guide for grade 5 deals with the how and why of traffic safety. Based on the introduction to highway safety rules and laws that students have mastered in grades K through 3, the program for grades 4 through…

Effects of a Nutrition Education Program on the Dietary Behavior and Nutrition Knowledge of Second-Grade and Third-Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powers, Alicia Raby; Struempler, Barbara J.; Guarino, Anthony; Parmer, Sondra M.

2005-01-01

This research investigated the effects of a nutrition education program on dietary behavior and nutrition knowledge among elementary school-aged children participating in a Social Cognitive Theory-based nutrition education program. Participants included 1100 second-grade and third-grade students selected by convenience-type sampling from public…

Relationships between Grade Levels, Personal Factors, and Instructional Variation among 4th-12th Grade Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Jacquelyn M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to investigate relationships between grade levels, personal factors of teachers, and instructional variety used by 4th-12th grade teachers in Kern County, California. The population under investigation included 2,844 teachers. 235 elementary, middle school/junior high, and secondary teachers…