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This article describes an action research investigation in which I examined the effects that a six-week, historical, inquiry-based unit on the American Revolution had on 119 fifth-graders’ interest in studying history. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from pre- and post-survey responses and observational field notes. Results suggest that the historical, inquiry-based unit positively influenced students’ motivation and interest to study history both in and outside the classroom. Based on the findings of this study, instructional strategies that piqued students’ own questions and interests appeared to be the key to facilitating their motivation to learn history.

This research study focuses on fifth-grade African American students who attend an all-Black charter school whose administration and teachers are committed to providing Black history instruction throughout the year. To fulfill the school's mission, the teachers integrate additional resources into the curriculum that includes lessons and activities about Black history. Therefore, the study sought to answer the following question: How does learning Black history throughout the school year impact African American fifth-grade students' self-esteem and positive self-image? The authors examined student work, conducted observations and listened as the participants engaged in critical discussions about race and racism.

Way to Go (WTG) is a K-12 public charter school located in an urban mid-size city in Florida, with a 100% Black student population; all WTG students receive scholarships and free lunch. The 15 participants in this study self-identified as African American fifth-grade students. The authors conducted a qualitative research study that included 13 observations, an analysis of five student work samples and a focus group interview with seven students. They used interpretative phenomenology to gather African American fifth-grade students' experiences and their interpretations of these experiences (Moustakas, 1994) while acquiring information about Black history.

The themes that emerged are it's time to go, unsung heroes and Black history is exciting. In the first theme, they learned why Blacks migrated from the South to northern cities and understood why it was time for them to go. Next, they explored the history of unsung Blacks who inspired them to think about a variety of careers to pursue. Finally, they were excited to learn Black history because they understood the importance of learning this history in order to grapple with current events, and they recognized that knowledge of this history would improve their self-worth and life choices.

WTG charter school exemplifies what schools should attain for regarding the teaching of Black history. Since elementary school provides the foundation for learning, it is the best time to teach African American students about self-esteem and what it means to be proud of their Blackness. The fifth-graders in this study exemplified how African American students take pride in their history and have a positive sense of self-worth when taught Black history. Black history lessons and activities such as the ones utilized in WTG school will benefit African American students and contribute to their success as students.

A social studies methods instructor and college students collaborated with an elementary teacher and fifth grade students to produce exciting cereal box dioramas of Native American cultures from different parts of the United States. The dioramas were constructed of a cereal box with a model of a historic Native American home on the front. The box was cut to open like a book to reveal the inside of the home and a ceremonial scene. The back and sides of the box featured crafts, clothing, food, transportation, or other information. Seven steps were implemented to guide this project-based learning experience. 1) Project’s goal: to engage students in active, meaningful learning, integrated with art, challenging in complexity and three-dimensional spatial reasoning, while addressing the values of Native Americans. 2) Involve students in researching and illustrating, “What were the lives of Native Americans like?” 3) Plan assessment of student research notebooks. 4) Plan assessment of final project’s required components. 5) Map how the project will unfold. 6) Respond to the challenge of making a three-dimensional model by providing examples and assistance. 7) Manage the project through collaboration between pre-service teachers and elementary students along with involvement of other school personnel.

To elicit the visual memory of packaging that facilitates consumers’ identification and selection of products from store displays, children were asked to draw a cereal box and the results were compared with actual cereal boxes. Over 97 percent spontaneously drew a cereal box with a brand name and other brand related symbols. This may be the first time to have a glimpse of the consumer’s evoked set as it really exists. The results suggest that one’s evoked set is not just a list of brand names in the mind, but an elaborate symbolic environment made up of visual and verbal codes in which the brand name is nested. Major implications for brand and package management are discussed.

In Michigan’s state-wide social studies test, eleven-year-old students have been expected to defend or challenge a piece of public policy, citing a core democratic value in their written argument. In this study thirty-six fifth graders across three schools were asked to define a number of these values and to talk about them. Few students made explicit connections between these values and civic life. Many students spoke to the role of the physical classroom environment in reinforcing the rote learning of definitions. Boys and girls cited different sources for their knowledge. Differences in the quality of responses across schools illustrate how students’ understandings of citizenship were shaped by teachers’ practices and individuals’ experiences in their communities.

Fifth graders will enjoy this WebQuest that challenges their understanding of the role that advertising plays in influencing youth. WebQuest makes use of the multiple types of resources through the internet including historical advertisements in print and video clips of today’s world. The Teacher’s Page sets the context for usage in a larger unit of study.

This learning cycle lesson plan uses hands-on and minds-on experiences to assist fourth or fifth graders in developing the important concept of scale. The lesson focuses on enabling students to define scale as a ratio so that one square represents more squares, e.g. 1:5. It also works to enable students to draw the same object in two different scales.

Historical empathy, also referred to as perspective taking, is an important skill for students to learn. Students need to have historical empathy in order to understand the complexity of how historians explain past events. Historical empathy, defined by Downey (1995), is the ability to recognize how the past was different from the present, to distinguish between multiple perspectives from the past, to explain the author’s perspective, and to defend it with historical evidence. In this action research study, a teacher used historical debate to foster the development of perspective taking in her fifth-grade class. Through debate, students took on the perspectives of people from the past and gained a better understanding of past events. Debates increased students’ understanding of historical contexts and differences between different viewpoints in the past, both important aspects of perspective taking. Students, however, had trouble demonstrating that the past is different from the present.

To examine a tobacco prevention elementary school project completed in 2000 in one rural state in the southeastern USA.

Initially, 721 public school fourth through sixth grade teachers across Mississippi attended (for reimbursement) a tobacco prevention workshop that included curriculum‐integrated material; 658 completed a follow‐up questionnaire (91.3 percent return rate). In addition, 1,762 of their students completed an anti‐tobacco pre‐test and 1,723 (868 girls, 853 boys) completed an anti‐tobacco post‐test (97.8 percent return rate).

Students improved from pre‐ to post‐test; girls scored better than boys. African American students and teachers completed more lessons than White students and teachers. Sixth graders completed fewer lessons and scored lower than fourth and fifth graders.

The test had a yes‐no format and a low ceiling, so many students answered correctly at pretest. Also, teachers were mostly white women, though they were demographically similar to teachers across the state, other groups would expand generalizability. Further, a true control group could evaluate the possibility that results were due to a secular trend.

Not only were teachers positive about a tobacco prevention workshop that included curriculum integrated materials, but also their students scored healthier after having tobacco prevention lessons. Further, those who received the most lessons improved the most, indicating a dose‐specific learning curve.

A challenge for the future would be to assess whether these improvements continue over the long term, and translate into less willingness to experiment with and use tobacco.

To assess the impact of a school‐based toothbrushing intervention aimed at encouraging primary school children to brush their teeth daily at school, on cognitions, toothbrushing behaviour and habit strength.

The effects of an intervention were examined in a quasi‐experimental trial among 296 fifth‐graders in seven schools. The schools were randomly assigned to be an intervention group or a control group. Children in the intervention schools brushed their teeth at school under supervision. Effects on toothbrushing behaviour were assessed with written questionnaires before, during, immediately after, and one year after the intervention period. Effects on cognitions and habit strength were assessed one year after the intervention period. Analyses of variance were conducted to detect differences in frequency of toothbrushing, cognitions about toothbrushing, and habit strength.

During the intervention period, brushing teeth at school resulted in a significant increase in frequency of toothbrushing. However, these effects had not been maintained at one‐year follow‐up. No effects on cognitions about toothbrushing or on habit strength were found.

When supports that facilitate healthy behaviour are implemented we recommend evaluating effects on habit strength, by assessment both before and after the intervention.

This paper suggests that when habit‐inducing supports and cues cease then people find it hard to sustain change. This may be of importance when designing and evaluating health‐promoting interventions.