Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Helping Students Who Do Poorly on Purpose

Doing Poorly on Purpose by G&T specialist Dr. James Delisle explores how to help smart students who do poorly in school. Many of the ideas can be effective with any student, says teacher Elizabeth OBrien. Strategies include reaching underachievers and “selective customers.”

Four MTSS Strategies for the Middle Grades

An effective Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) throughout a school serves every student while it helps identify and support those with learning disabilities. To demonstrate, teacher educators Barbara Blackburn and Bradley Witzel share four instructional strategies.

Help Students Explain Their Ideas in Writing

Recently Sarah Tantillo worked with 8th grade teacher Bianca Licata to analyze students’ difficulty in effectively explaining how evidence supports arguments in their writing. After they identified causes and potential solutions, Licata tested their ideas in class.

Not Light, But Fire: Talking Race in Class

Reading “Not Light, But Fire” inspired Sarah Cooper to change the way she frames conversations about current events and history – which very often involve race, ethnicity, religion, politics and other incendiary topics – to build understanding, not emotion.

Reciprocal Teaching for Improving Reading

Implement the elements of reciprocal teaching – predicting, questioning, clarifying, and summarizing – using Lori Oczkus’s revised book on reading comprehension. ELA teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith likes the guidance in starting the scaffolded discussion method and more.

More Ideas to Spark Mathematical Creativity

The use of open-ended, visual tasks is a very non-traditional way of teaching and learning math. But its potential for expanding students’ mathematical creativity and understanding makes it well worth exploring! Math education consultant Jerry Burkhart shares examples.