Middle Graders Research Articles

Comparisons of creativity performance and learning effects through digital game-based creativity learning between elementary school children in rural and urban areas.

Creativity is an important ability for problem-solving in both personal life and academic learning. Few creativity studies have investigated the development of children's creativity in disadvantaged rural areas or compared the rural-urban differences through digital game-based creativity learning. Understanding such differences can help provide resources for promoting learning equality in creativity. This study aimed to compare the rural-urban difference in elementary school children's creativity performance and their learning effect through digital game-based creativity learning. Participants were 261 3rd and 4th graders and 194 5th and 6th graders from 6 elementary schools. Two digital game-based creativity learning systems were employed to conduct a five-class experimental instruction. A creativity test and a questionnaire were also used. The results indicate that the urban middle graders, but not the upper graders, outperformed their rural counterparts in the creativity test before game-based learning. Nevertheless, all children got a higher score on the creativity test after the game-based learning, suggesting the employed creativity learning systems could be vehicles for improving elementary school children's creativity. However, the rural children gained less from the learning than the urban children, which may be due to weaker competencies in self-regulated learning. Further studies can employ an inventory to verify this and also consider providing more scaffolding of self-regulated learning to more disadvantaged students during digital game-based creativity learning. Additionally, the results of this study reflect the importance of self-determination and rewards in learning motivation. Appropriate rewards may encourage persistence in taking on challenges.

Middle grades readings: Where are the picturebooks?

This article adds picturebooks to the rich landscape of middle grades readings. It begins with a vignette that inspired this article, followed by an introduction to the changing definitions picturebooks. Next, it provides a brief overview of the different relationships between text and illustrations. Then, it discusses the value of picturebooks for middle graders readers, followed by an introduction to crossover picturebooks, and how they can be used as Way-In texts.

Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier

Reviewed by: Just Right Jillian by Nicole D. Collier Melanie Kirkwood Collier , Nicole D. Just Right Jillian . Versify/HarperCollins , 2022 [ 224 p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780358434610 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780358436386 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 3-5 Jillian is a brilliant student and an amazing friend, but she's often overwhelmed by her own shyness. Still mourning the passing of her Grammy Ruby almost a year ago, Jillian finds comfort in the sea of conformity at her school, though not without taking envious notice of Rashida—the prettiest, most popular, and smartest girl in the fifth grade. When Jillian's shyness costs her a spot in the school's Mind Bender competition, however, she embarks on a journey to finally break out of her shell. Collier's treatment of the middle grade years is beautifully textured, expertly weaving together elements of friendship and family with personal growth, grief, and the importance of a supportive community. Jillian's strong and nuanced narration reveals her gifts of observation and empathy for others, despite how her shyness might interrupt her life. Though many will anticipate the final result of the Mind Bender competition, there is settled assurance that regardless of the outcome, Jillian has won. A tender tale of self-acceptance and friendship, this title is an excellent pick for middle graders grappling with the big questions surrounding identity, expression, and the beauty of our different paths of growth. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Understanding middle graders’ language borrowing: how lexical and demographic characteristics predict similarity

Understanding middle graders’ language borrowing: how lexical and demographic characteristics predict similarity

Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars by Laurie Wallmark

Reviewed by: Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars by Laurie Wallmark Elizabeth Bush Wallmark, Laurie Code Breaker, Spy Hunter: How Elizebeth Friedman Changed the Course of Two World Wars; illus. by Brooke Smart. Abrams, 2021 [48p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781419739637 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781683357049 $15.54 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 3-5 Not long after graduating with a degree in literature, Elizebeth Smith joined the staff of wealthy eccentric George Fabyan, combing through texts for evidence that Francis Bacon authored work attributed to William Shakespeare. However, when America entered World War I, Fabyan offered the services of his employees (skilled as they were at attacking puzzles) as cryptographers, and Elizebeth and colleagueturned-husband William Friedman embarked on what would become their life's work. Called out of private sector research to work directly for the government, Elizebeth not only cracked codes for the military but also trained new cryptographers, penned books on cryptography, cracked bootlegger communications and spy codes, and provided expert testimony at hearings rife with skepticism over the validity of cryptography. Wallmark's lively, detailed text maximizes the appeal of Friedman's story, focusing on the demand for Elizebeth's skills apart from those of her acclaimed husband, and Smart's digitally assembled watercolors sport a vibrant stylishness that will play to readers who appreciate picture books pitched at middle graders. End matter includes a glossary, a walk-through on deciphering a Caesar code, notes on cryptography and secure online communication, a timeline of Elizebeth's life, source notes, and bibliography. Pair this with Schwartz's Can You Crack the Code? (BCCB 3/19) to kickstart a women in STEM program. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Down to Earth by Betty Culley

Reviewed by: Down to Earth by Betty Culley Elizabeth Bush Culley, Betty Down to Earth. Crown, 2021 [224p] Library ed. ISBN 9780593175743 $19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 9780593175736 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780593175750 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 In retrospect, ten-year-old Henry Bower had a couple of clues that his life was about to change. When he practiced with his dowsing rod, hoping to confirm that he had inherited the family gift, it pointed skyward, and his two-year-old sister Birdie reported hearing “Hizzz hizzzz.” Now a huge meteorite has crashed into the ground in his family’s field in northern Maine, and the amazing event Henry hoped to keep secret is drawing public concern: a heavy stream of water is flowing from the site, flooding the roads, even as local wells are running dry. The strength and delight of this awe-infused novel derive from Culley’s deftly blurred line between fantasy and realism (for readers), and between cause and correlation (for Henry and the townspeople). Plausible explanations abound for the odd goings-on—a damaged aquifer could account for the flooding and the dry wells; the sudden appearance of sandhill cranes may be related to the flooded land; the indestructability of the meteorite is because space matter is mysterious and weird. But what about the improved health or recovery of people exposed to the water, or Birdie’s sudden [End Page 333] ability to use complete sentences? And most of all, what of Henry’s successful plan to redirect the water flow with the gift of a treasured pebble given to him by a scientist, who shared a similar experience in his youth? This is the perfect match for middle graders starting to sort through what we do know, what we don’t know yet, and what might be unknowable. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Road to Wherever by John Ed Bradley

Reviewed by: The Road to Wherever by John Ed Bradley Elizabeth Bush Bradley, John Ed The Road to Wherever. Farrar, 2021 [272p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780374314057 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780374314064 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-7 The Ball brothers, Cornell and Larry, leave their auto repair business in the hands of their staff and take off on their annual soul-satisfying mission: “God in heaven created them to keep classic Fords running, and so each summer, they hit the road in search of heaps to fulfill the task.” This year they’re accompanied by Henry Ball, Jr. (nicknamed June), their eleven-year-old first cousin once removed, whose father has taken off, leaving his mother unable to supervise him. Cornell and Larry are genuinely happy to have June along, teaching him basic maintenance skills, sharing the pleasures of meeting strangers and old friends, and hopefully turning him into a next generation genuine Ford Man. For middle graders new to the road trip genre, there are few better routes to travel than Bradley’s. Each tidily crafted episode gets just the space it needs: a brief, dream-feverish encounter with an abhorrent “bow tie” (Chevy man) at a rest area; a few hours spent sprucing up both a Ranchero and the fading off-highway diner of its owner; an overnight for an aging former Miss Arkansas preparing her neglected vehicle for a reprise ride in a local parade; several heart-tugging days getting a vintage T-Bird to run barely well enough to take a dying woman on one last joyride. The Ball brothers are the stars here, and Bradley makes them quirky enough to keep the tone light and big-hearted enough to demonstrate that any job done with skill and passion deserves—and gets—respect. Through the unexpected assistance of an Army Ranger vet, Dad is waiting when [End Page 328] June gets home—PTSD from his own Middle East missions now under better control—and June looks forward to helping out at the Ball garage and hitting the road again next year. Copyright © 2021 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Investigating the effect of history-of-mathematics activities on middle-grade students’ mental computation and opinions: an action research

ABSTRACT This study aims to investigate the effect of history-of-mathematics activities on the development of mental computation of middle-grade students and to determine the students’ views on the history of mathematics. This study was carried out as an action research project. The participants of the study consisted of 19 seventh-grade students studying at a middle school and a mathematics teacher. A mental computation proficiency test, a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, field notes taken by the teacher and work sheets for the history of mathematics that were administered to the students were used during the data collection process of this study. At the end of the study, it was seen that the history-of-mathematics activities were effective in some of mathematical operations but not in some others. The history-of-mathematics activities were also found to contribute to the enrichment of computational strategies of the middle graders. Moreover, the middle grade students and the teacher who participated in the study stated that the history-of-mathematics activities had positive aspects, such as computational practicality, building positive attitudes towards mathematics and transferability to daily life. However, the history-of-mathematics activities were described to be difficult and complex by some of the students.

فاعلیة توظیف تقنیة الواقع المعزز فی تنمیة مهارات التفکیر الإبداعی والتحصیل الدراسی لدی طلاب الصف الأول متوسط فی مادة اللغة الإنجلیزیة

The Effectiveness of The Use of Augmented Reality Technology onDeveloping Creative Thinking Skills and Academic Achievement For FirstMiddle Grade Students in English Course. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of the use of the augmentedreality technology on developing creative thinking and academic achievementfor first middle graders in English Course. To achieve the objectives of thestudy, the researcher used the quasi-experimental method with two groupsdesign (Experimental Group and Control Group). Creative thinking skills scalehas been created and included (12) items. In addition, an achievement test hasbeen also created and included (20) items. The study sample consists of (40)students of the first middle grade, who are selected based on Cluster RandomSample from Middle schools at Makkah Al-Mukaramah Region; and dividedinto two (experimental & control) groups.The study concluded the following results:1. There are statistically significant differences at (0.05) in the mean scores ofexperimental group students and control group students in terms of the postapplicationof the creative thinking skills scale and the achievement test, infavor of experimental group students.2. There is correlative and predictive relation between the extent of creativethinking skills growth and academic achievement growth for first middlegraders in English Language Course.The researcher recommended to the necessity of giving attention to informativeaugmented activities through the use of augmented reality technology fordeveloping the creative thinking and academic achievement skills; trainingteachers and supervisors to use the augmented reality technology to improveEnglish Language teaching process.Keywords: Effectiveness, Augmented Reality, Creative Thinking Skills,English Language

Architecture Game-Based Mathematical Learning by Making

In this design-based research project, we investigated how and to what extent participating in architectural building and problem solving via a simulation game–based learning platform (called E-Rebuild) would facilitate mathematical practices of middle-school students in the informal learning setting. This study encompasses 2 iterative design experiments in which 20 middle graders completed E-Rebuild-based learning tasks as part of an afterschool program and a summer math camp. Data were collected via screen- and webcam-recorded participation actions and reactions, mathematical problem-solving test, and interviewing. Enriching prior research on math and science learning through making, this study informs how and under what contexts mathematical practices and disposition emerge during the making-centered learning processes.

The role of cross-disciplinary academic language skills in disciplinary, source-based writing: investigating the role of core academic language skills in science summarization for middle grade writers

Learning to use language in order to complete source-based writing tasks is a challenge for middle grade writers worthy of additional study, especially given that these tasks are increasingly common in classrooms. Here, we examined the contribution of receptive and productive cross-disciplinary academic language skills to the writing quality of middle graders’ science summaries, after accounting for students’ sociodemographic characteristics, their comprehension of the science source text, and general summary features (i.e., length and copy ratio). Our results suggest that the ability to produce a high-quality science summary is predominately driven by the writers’ receptive academic language proficiency, comprehension of the source text and productive academic language used when writing, including text length. We contend that these results are illuminating because of the joint examination of students’ productive and receptive academic language skills. In addition, this study attempts to unpack the relation between summary length and quality, identifying levels of receptive academic language skills as an important moderator. These findings have the potential to advance the current understanding of malleable factors associated with science writing proficiency, as well as with those associated with source-based writing more generally.

Game-Based Multimodal Representations and Mathematical Problem Solving

This mixed-method study aims to explore the feasibility of using the game-based, multimodal representation of mathematical problems to support middle school students’ practice and performance of math problem representation and solving. A three-dimensional architectural simulation game, called E-Rebuild, was developed to engage students in architecture-themed math problem solving and learning. Based on the data collected from 56 middle graders, the study findings suggested that interacting with game-based multimodal math problems helped students develop a systematic perspective and an analytical demeanor in coordinating external problem representations distributed across game objects and actions. Game-based problem solving promoted participants’ mathematical test performance as well as mental rotation task performance.

Understanding primary school students’ use of self-regulated writing strategies through think-aloud protocols

This study seeks to extend our current understanding about the relationship between writing competence, grade level and use of self-regulated writing strategies. Especially, research regarding primary school students' use of self-regulated writing strategies in an ESL/EFL context is still lacking. Thirty-two Singapore primary school students wrote a picture composition while thinking aloud. Through analysis of the participants' think-aloud protocols related their use of metacognitive and cognitive writing strategies, the findings show that the students used 24 self-regulated writing strategies among the 87 writing strategies found in the sample more than once. The high competence students outperformed their low competence counterparts in using both metacognitive and cognitive strategies. However, inconsistent findings were found between the middle graders and upper graders. The study underscores the importance of understanding young learners’ use of self-regulated writing strategies through think-aloud protocols. The findings provide practical implications for teachers to conduct differentiated writing instruction in an ESL/EFL context.

To Read or Not To Read: Listening to Children Talk about Reading Motivation

Developing the will to read is an important, albeit sometimes neglected consideration in fostering literacy among children. Drawing from research on reading motivation by Wigfield and Guthrie (1997), who talk about reading motivation as anchored upon self efficacy beliefs, purpose, and a social component, Rosenblatt’s (1994) Transactional Theory of Reading which highlights the stances one takes while reading, Krashen’s (2004 and 2009) research on the conditions that make Free Voluntary Reading optimal, and Miller’s (2011) research on materiality and how objects have an agency that could either build or cripple the capacities of students influences this study as it examines the factors that contribute to reading motivation among middle graders. In order to answer my main research questions, I engaged eight students from grades 3 to 6 in informal interviews (pakikipagkuwentuhan) about reading. These students came from either public, private or state-funded laboratory schools. Depending on the flow of each conversation, the questions asked the students varied at times. Results indicate that both human and symbolic mediators work together to Foster reading motivation among middle graders. These different mediators of reading motivation are the focus of this research. Implications for reading instruction may be gleaned from this study.

Aggression in schools: Cyberbullying and gender issues.

Due to increasing internet and mobile penetration, children in India are at risk of cyberbullying. A survey of 174 middle graders in Delhi showed that, of total, 8% indulged in cyberbullying and 17% reported being victimized by such acts. However, prevalence of in-person bullying, fighting and victimization by either was 16%, 12% and 17% respectively. Males were more likely to bully and fight in-person than females. They were also more likely to be victims of both online and offline aggression. Interwoven modes of bullying along with safe use of technology need to be understood.

Views of Middle Graders toward the Concept of Tolerance

Views of Middle Graders toward the Concept of Tolerance

Recognising the power of pleasure: What engaged adolescent readers get from their free-choice reading, and how teachers can leverage this for all

This three-year qualitative study explored the reading of 14 middle graders who self-identified as passionate readers, and of 15 secondary school students who were highly engaged readers of genres typically marginalised in school: romance, dystopia, fantasy, vampire and horror. The purpose of the study was to help teachers think about free choice reading, including of marginalised genres, and to help teachers think about pedagogic responses. One salient finding reported here was that free reading of all kinds, including that of marginalised genres, brought readers five distinct kinds of pleasure (each pleasure in turn bringing many ancillary benefits): the immersive pleasure of play, intellectual pleasure, social pleasure, the pleasure of functional work, and the pleasure of inner work. Pleasure, however, and the benefits that accrue from it, is largely neglected as a research topic. With the exception of intellectual pleasure, the identified pleasures were not directly fostered in the schools where the study took place — although they easily could be. Implications include the centrality of pleasure to fostering competent and lifelong reading, as well as ways that teachers can value free-choice reading and promote the pleasures of reading in their classrooms.

Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey (review)

Reviewed by: Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall by Anita Silvey Elizabeth Bush Silvey, Anita Untamed: The Wild Life of Jane Goodall. National Geographic, 2015 [96p] illus. with photographs Library ed. ISBN 978-1-4263-1519-0 $28.90 Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4263-1518-3 $18.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-7 Middle graders who were introduced to scientist Jane Goodall way back in their primary years through picture books by Jeannette Winter (The Watcher, BCCB 4/11) or Patrick McDonnell (Me …Jane, BCCB 4/11) may now be ready for a more in-depth look at the woman whose observations radically changed the way humans view their chimpanzee kin. Silvey offers an enthusiastic overview, exploring [End Page 54] Goodall’s animal-crazy childhood; the lucky break that brought her to Africa and the attention of Louis Leakey; her groundbreaking approach to observing chimpanzee behavior; her career shift into advocacy for the welfare of animals in the wild and in science labs; and changes in methodology since Goodall’s career began. Although rich in details of Goodall’s experiences in her early years and their translation into her professional work, this title is thinner on the particulars of her personal adult life, with friends and family given brief mentions throughout the text and end matter. An abundance of color illustrations does much to redress this shortcoming, though, and kids who are more interested in the chimps than in their observer will revel in the intimate, informal snapshots and the “Gombe Family Scrapbook” of many of Goodall’s subjects. A closing chapter on Goodall’s legacy (possibly a bit premature since she’s still working at eighty) highlights the organizations she founded; back matter comprises maps, source notes, reading lists, an index, and chimpanzee facts. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Sparkers by Eleanor Glewwe (review)

Reviewed by: Sparkers by Eleanor Glewwe Karen Coats Glewwe, Eleanor Sparkers. Viking, 2014 [336p] ISBN 978-0-451-46876-5 $16.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8 Marah Levi is halani—one of the lower class, unable to do magic like members of the elite class, the kasiri. Her father is dead, her mother works too hard, and her younger brother, who is deaf, is becoming restless and sneaking out during the day when he is supposed to be safe at home or with friends. Marah has a part-time job working at a bookstall, where she indulges her passion for languages. When she impulsively saves a young kasir girl, Sarah, from being hurt in a crowd, the girl invites her home, where she finds a kindred spirit in Sarah’s brother Azariah. He seeks her help in translating a book in a banned language, and together they find the cure for a disease that is killing halani and kasiri alike. Their work uncovers a sinister plot, however, putting them in grave danger. Marah is an appealing heroine—warm, compassionate, and smart—and the plot pleases by requiring Marah and Azariah to develop and use their special talents to save the city while losing a small bit of their innocence. They both lose someone they love as well, a circumstance that ups the emotional stakes without overtaking the plot. The social climate of the alternative world resonates with many a historical and current situation; the result threatens to become a tad message-heavy, but the plot moves quickly enough and with sufficient twists and turns to make the politics intriguing rather than overbearing. Marah’s talents extend to an ability to pour out her emotions in virtuoso violin music; similarly multitalented middle graders will find in her a kindred spirit. [End Page 154] Copyright © 2014 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Validation Study of the Anxiety Scale for Middle Graders at Elementary School

Validation Study of the Anxiety Scale for Middle Graders at Elementary School