To help history classroom teachers on the high school level make their classes more interesting, this article suggests that teachers incorporate short stories, books, poems, and excerpts from full-length novels into the curriculum. Examples of how literature of various types was successfully integrated into a history unit on the Civil War are…

Presents a 2- to 3-hour teaching unit dealing with conflict between Whites and Indians, taking as an example the Black Hawk War. The reports of Chief Black Hawk and of historian Billington (sources for both are given) are taken as a basis for discussion. (IFS/WGA)

Determines effects of sequencing in junior high science on the success of students in high school biology. In comparing standardized test scores of 1,143 students taking tenth grade biology, the half enrolled in a generalized general science curriculum in grades 7, 8 and 9 scored as well as or better than the half that had a specialized life…

Describes an episode involving conditional statements and the notion of logical equivalence that occurred in a 10th-grade college-preparatory geometry class. Illustrates some of the confusion that can arise in connection with this topic, for both students and teachers. (ASK)

The effects of an author, writing in the first person, on adolescents reading history textbooks were studied with six high school sophomores. Data from think-aloud protocols and semi-structured interviews show that students interacted with the "visible" author and engaged in mental conversations. (SLD)

Discovery Education is based on the writings of Henry David Thoreau, an early champion of experiential learning. After 2 months of preparation, 10th-grade students spent 4 days in the wilderness reenacting a piece of history, such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The interdisciplinary approach always included journal-writing. Students gained…

Conducted three controlled studies involving progressive relaxation (PR). Subjects included 40 tenth graders (Study 1), 113 eighth graders (Study 2), and 30 eleventh and twelfth graders (Study 3). Found regular practice with PR produced reductions in both physiological and paper-and-pencil dependent measures; expectancy effects could result in…

Examined relationship between social interactional patterns of behavior and problem-solving outcome in 125 two-parent families with son in grade 4, 7, or 10. Subjects attempted to solve own family problems in laboratory, with interactions being observed and scored. Negative emotional patterns were negatively associated with good problem-solving…

Administered an open-ended survey to 187 rural and urban tenth grade students in Minnesota. Students were asked to describe their community, state, nation, and world. Comparison of rural and urban students' responses revealed both similarities and differences. Discusses implication for rural education and rural education research. (Author/KS)

Presents three open-ended problems as a basis for discussing concerns and possible hazards in their solution, including partial answers or unjustified guesses, and considers the appropriate use of these types of problems. Appendices include problem solutions. (MKR)

Examined effects of three abstinence sex education programs on student attitudes toward sexual activity. Administered programs to seventh and tenth graders in three school districts. Independent variables were program, grade level, gender, and pre/posttest. Dependent variable was combined and averaged response to 12 questions. Found four-way…

Examined effect of mentor program on at-risk tenth graders, 32 of whom, considered most at-risk, were assigned to 32 mentors. Matched group of 32 students received no mentoring. Compared to controls, mentored students were no less likely to drop out of school and did not raise self-concept or academic achievement. Comparisons between effectively…

Examines variables including handwriting, English mechanics, number of words written, average T-unit length, type of correct answers, and unrelated responses on which male and female adolescents in grades 7 and 10 were hypothesized to differ when producing constructed responses. Results suggest that further studies need to define and separate the…

This study used data from the First Follow-Up of the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1998 to examine the effects of part-time work during the school year on high school students' academic achievement as measured by standardized achievement scores and high school grades. Results indicated a small negative effect of employment on both…

Describes the gradual breakthroughs and the classroom procedures in one teacher's efforts to find a pedagogy for poetry that would side-step or eliminate the need for a direct assault on meaning. Discusses the complex first response to poems. Uses visual art to encourage looking and seeing over judging, and reporting over interpretation. (PA)