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Middle school

2008

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Articles 1 - 18 of 18

Full-Text Articles in Education

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science, William Robertson Aug 2008

Dr. Skateboard’S Action Science, William Robertson

William H. Robertson

Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science is designed to incorporate both a four part Video Series and an accompanying activity booklet that focuses on concepts in physical science that integrates both skateboarding and BMX. Dr. Skateboard’s Action Science explores concepts suitable for middle grade (4-8) students in a curriculum that is designed to address both the objectives and enduring knowledge of physical science in content and process skills for both the National Science Standards and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The video instruction provides the teacher with a series of instructional hooks and content information that can be used to explore …


Examination Of Interactions Among Eighth-Grade Language Arts Students During Literature Circles, Rachel Marie Smith Jul 2008

Examination Of Interactions Among Eighth-Grade Language Arts Students During Literature Circles, Rachel Marie Smith

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the nature of interactions that took place among eighth-graders as they participated in literature circles. The teacher/researcher organized students into literature circles based on the students' novel selection. Students completed a different role assignment each week. The role assignments included word wizard, passage picker, connector, summarizer, and question asker. As the students participated in literature circles, the teacher/researcher tape recorded their conversations and took observational field notes. Analysis of the data four weeks later showed that some students' voices were silenced and students went through the motions of completing and talking about their role assignments with little …


Service-Learning: A Case Study Approach To Understanding Cross-Age Tutoring With Junior High Students At-Risk For Behavioral And Emotional Disabilities, Megan S. Pratt Jul 2008

Service-Learning: A Case Study Approach To Understanding Cross-Age Tutoring With Junior High Students At-Risk For Behavioral And Emotional Disabilities, Megan S. Pratt

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to investigate the effects a service-learning tutorship had on the Social and Personal Responsibility Scale scores of middle school students identified as at risk for emotional and behavioral problems and enrolled in a one hour class that focused on social skills, self-management, and emotional resilience. Eight students identified through school-wide screening measures as at-risk for emotional and behavioral problems were involved in a pre/post quantitative survey, pre/post exploratory interviews, and a post focus group to analyze their level of growth in relation to social and personal responsibility. Currently, there is a limited amount …


The Effect Of The Middle School Concept On Student Achievement In Coastal Mississippi Middle Level Schools, Mary Lee Davis May 2008

The Effect Of The Middle School Concept On Student Achievement In Coastal Mississippi Middle Level Schools, Mary Lee Davis

Dissertations

In this study, the researcher examined the effect of the implementation of the middle school concept on student achievement in coastal Mississippi middle level schools with a grade configuration of 6-8. The study was conducted in the fall semester of the 2006-2007 school year; archival data were collected from the Mississippi Department of Education's Web site. There were 15 schools identified as housing grades 6-8; of those 15, participants included 12 coastal Mississippi middle level schools. There was a total of 9 schools identified as implementing the middle school concept, and 6 schools were identified as not implementing the concept; …


Standards-Based Assessment System In A Christian Middle School Science Classroom, David J. Mulder Mar 2008

Standards-Based Assessment System In A Christian Middle School Science Classroom, David J. Mulder

Master of Education Program Theses

Teachers in all sorts of educational settings have a common difficulty: accurately reporting what their students know, understand, and are able to do. Reporting the measurement of these assessments has traditionally been done through the assignment of letter grades. There is a fairly comprehensive and growing body of literature indicating the weakness of traditional letter grades for authentically assessing student understanding. This study examines an alternative to traditional grading practices. After reviewing relevant literature, I designed a standards-based assessment and evaluation system and put it into place in my 8th grade science classroom at a mid-sized Christian school in northwestern …


The Relationship Of Principal Leadership And Teacher Morale, Keith A. Rowland Mar 2008

The Relationship Of Principal Leadership And Teacher Morale, Keith A. Rowland

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This Study examined the relationship of the leadership practices of middle school principals and the morale of the teachers in these schools. Seven middle schools in a Metropolitan Atlanta school system participated in the study. The Leadership Practices Inventory was used to collect information on the principal practices and the Purdue Teacher Opinionaire was used to collect information on teacher morale. Results indicated that principal leadership and teacher morale were significantly correlated and that the leadership practice of Enable Others to Act had the strongest positive correlation to teacher morale. These results imply that a principal’s daily behavior plays a …


The Prevalence Of Bullying In Central Florida Middle Schools As Perceived By Students, Marty Norris Jan 2008

The Prevalence Of Bullying In Central Florida Middle Schools As Perceived By Students, Marty Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was developed to produce data about the prevalence of bullying in Central Florida middle schools. The research was intended to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on bullying and victimization. The focus for this study was provided through research questions: (a) to determine if there is a mean difference in perceived victimization among Central Florida middle school students based on grade level, gender, and ethnicity; (b) to determine if there is a mean difference in perceived bullying among Central Florida middle school students based on grade level, gender, and ethnicity; (c) to determine what support do students …


The Impact Of Two Middle School Grade Level Start Points, 5th-Grade And 7th-Grade, On Adolescents' 8th-Grade Achievement, Behavior, And High School Preparedness, Elizabeth W. Standish Jan 2008

The Impact Of Two Middle School Grade Level Start Points, 5th-Grade And 7th-Grade, On Adolescents' 8th-Grade Achievement, Behavior, And High School Preparedness, Elizabeth W. Standish

Student Work

The grade level at which an adolescent started middle school, 5th-grade (n = 40) or 7th-grade (n = 40) did not statistically significantly impact 8th-grade students' achievement, behavior or high school preparedness in this study. Regardless of middle school start points all 8th-grade students performed within the fourth to sixth stanines on a national norm-referenced test, solidly within the average range with mean core grade point averages ranging from a C+ (2.53) to a B (3.11). However, consistent with national findings all middle school start point groups demonstrated statistically significant declines in normal curve equivalences between pretest 5th-grade to posttest …


The Sister Libraries Partnership Program: A Carnegie Mellon University Libraries Pilot Project, Daniel R. Hood Jan 2008

The Sister Libraries Partnership Program: A Carnegie Mellon University Libraries Pilot Project, Daniel R. Hood

Daniel R Hood

In 2005 the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries received a grant from the Eden Hall Foundation called Information Literacy for the Region. A key aspect of this grant encourages collaboration between Carnegie Mellon University Libraries and local school and public libraries on information literacy initiatives. An Information Literacy Fellow position was created to plan and administer these initiatives. Ideas for collaborative activities spawned from a focus group discussion held at Carnegie Mellon in summer 2006. Western Pennsylvania School Librarians Association members and Carnegie Mellon librarians got together to discuss how to foster interest in local, grass roots information literacy projects. Lack …


The Changes In Middle School Student Multiple Intelligence Scores Over The School Year, Terry O’Gorman Jan 2008

The Changes In Middle School Student Multiple Intelligence Scores Over The School Year, Terry O’Gorman

The Corinthian

This study of middle school students was based on Multiple Intelligences, as theorized by Howard Gardner. The instrument used was acquired from the on-line Memletics page of Advanogy.com. This descriptive survey measured which intelligence learning method is strongest in 229 students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades at the beginning and the ending of the school year. This study also measured the possible changes in the student intelligence scores, including gender comparisons. About 40% of the students had their highest scores in the social intelligence, while about 20% had aural intelligence as their highest score. Logical and intrapersonal intelligences were …


Using Communication Techniques In The Low-Performing Mathematics Classroom: A Study Of Fractions,Decimals,Performance And Attitu, Pamela Guyton Jan 2008

Using Communication Techniques In The Low-Performing Mathematics Classroom: A Study Of Fractions,Decimals,Performance And Attitu, Pamela Guyton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Within a low-performing seventh grade mathematics classroom, communication techniques including discourse, collaborative groups, listening, reading, and writing were implemented during a six week period. This study shows how the use of these techniques led to the twenty four students' conceptual understanding of fraction and decimal concepts. This research study provides insight to the deep-seeded beliefs of low-performing students. It provides a record of how the teacher used communication techniques in the classroom and had a strong positive impact on the attitudes and performance of these struggling students.


The Evaluation Of Prescribed Learning Periods In Middle School, Patricia Heldt Jan 2008

The Evaluation Of Prescribed Learning Periods In Middle School, Patricia Heldt

Theses and Graduate Projects

The Prescribed Learning Period (PLP) is a period replacing study hall in which students personal learning needs are met. During the learning period students are taught math, language arts, and other needed skills to enhance the students' education. Remedial, challenge, and midrange classes are offered. The purpose is for all students needs to be met at their level for one period of the day. The students may change groups as the teachers deem appropriate. These research findings determine the success and the future needs of the program. The findings demonstrate that the PLP program meets the needs of Response To …


The Relationship Between Rural Middle School Student Mathematics Achievement And Classroom Sense Of Community, John E. Donlan Jan 2008

The Relationship Between Rural Middle School Student Mathematics Achievement And Classroom Sense Of Community, John E. Donlan

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

This study addressed the need for more information about academic growth and achievement in mathematics, and how it relates to sense of community in middle school settings. This was accomplished by applying the Classroom and School Community Inventory (CSCI) construct (Rovai, Wighting, & Lucking, 2004) to all three middle schools in one rural county. The CSCI was utilized to measure sense of community in mathematics classes to determine if differences existed between grades six, seven, and eight, including gender subgroups, among the three middle schools in the same rural county. This study examined academic growth in the subject of mathematics …


Differentiated Instruction: A Review Of Literature, Whitney Sherman Jan 2008

Differentiated Instruction: A Review Of Literature, Whitney Sherman

MERC Publications

Differentiated instruction is recognized to be a compilation of many theories and practices related to effective teaching and its link to student achievement. It requires a departure from traditional methods of teaching and the belief that learners vary according to readiness, ability, motivation, and interest. While numerous testimonials, examples of differentiation in practice, and for profit tools abound in the literature, little empirical research exists warranting future research on the effectiveness of differentiated instruction as measured by student achievement on assessment. This manuscript provides a review of the literature.


The Effectiveness Of Block Schedule In Middle School, Ginger L. Markham Jan 2008

The Effectiveness Of Block Schedule In Middle School, Ginger L. Markham

Perspectives In Learning

Block scheduling in one form or another seems to be highly effective when properly used. It invites depth in learning, inquiry based and student based learning, which corresponds with Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). The faculty and staff of Veterans Memorial Middle School are planning to meet the needs of the students by changing their teaching methods to support the GPS and alternating 4X4 block schedule. The author would recommend any middle school use a block schedule of some type in order to meet the needs of their school. Once the teachers buy into the concept, there is no limit to …


Teacher Perceptions Of Changes In Middle School Student Behavior After Implementation Of A Character Education Program, Maria F. Cleary Jan 2008

Teacher Perceptions Of Changes In Middle School Student Behavior After Implementation Of A Character Education Program, Maria F. Cleary

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Differentiated Instruction: Perceptions Of Middle School Principals Across Middlesex County, New Jersey, Fredrik Martin Oberkehr Jan 2008

Differentiated Instruction: Perceptions Of Middle School Principals Across Middlesex County, New Jersey, Fredrik Martin Oberkehr

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Comics, The Canon, And The Classroom, James Carter Dec 2007

Comics, The Canon, And The Classroom, James Carter

James B Carter

This chapter, which explores what I call the canon-curriculum-culture connection in terms of comics and graphic novels, also offers definitions of the augmental and supplemental approaches to using graphic novels in the classroom. The link is to the "Google Books" version of the paper, which begins on page 47 of the book.