This is a third grade reading class in an elementary school in New
             Mexico. The student population is ninety-nine percent Navajo (non-english
             speakers). The school is on the Navajo reservation and the students share
             many cultural attributes. There are no dissenting clan' issues within the
             class and the students are more than willing to share cultural experiences
             and understanding with the non-Navajo teacher. It is a school under
             ' correctional action'' as a result of poor performance scores. The class
             is aligned according to level scores and includes two second graders, seven
             third graders, four fourth graders and four fifth graders. There are no
             special education students in the class. All of the students showed
             reading skills appropriate to beginning third grade.
             Developmentally, these students encompass a wide range as their ages
             differ as much as three years. The two second graders are seven years old,
             just beginning to understand group dynamics in terms of social interaction
             and are much smaller, physically, than some of the older students. There
             are issues of impulse control, especially in talking at inappropriate
             moments and being able to sit for longer periods of time.
             The third graders are seen as a cohesive group (for the most part)
             because of prior shared experiences and association in other, grade level
             subjects. They make up the bulk of the class and allow a certain standard
             of behavior to be set. The fourth graders are all girls, know each other
             quite well, and are on a similar emotional level as the third graders.
             The fifth graders consist of three boys and one girl. They are
             entering a rebellious stage of development, are considered behind' the
             rest of their age group and must deal with the stigma of being in a class
             with much younger students at a time when group membership and acceptance
             is all important. The three boys are identi...