Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Bag Ladies’ Best Ideas for Hands-On Learning

Photos, zipper baggie quilts, stick puppets, story time capsules and more – all add to the learning in Simmons and Guinn’s collection of hands-on activities for kids in K-5. Educator Elizabeth OBrien says activities can be easily adapted from one subject area to another.

Executive Function Is Key to Student Achievement

Executive function is the missing link to student achievement, author Nancy Sulla says. If students don’t develop the brain-based skills to focus, catch and correct errors, and identify cause-and-effect relationships, they can’t make sense of even the best lessons.

The Beauty of February in the Classroom

Lauren Brown and her middle schoolers are in the sweet spot of the school year – settled after the holidays and with spring break in the distance – a perfect place to deepen learning built on established relationships and student skills developed over past months. Snow days help, too.

3 Ways to Encourage Shared Teacher Learning

Ongoing shared professional learning helps bolster teachers’ willingness to embrace change and collaborate. Barbara Blackburn and Ron Williamson highlight three targeted activities: learning walks, lesson studies, and a strategy to develop consistent expectations.

A Guide to Creating a Gritty School Culture

Laila Sanguras helps educators better understand the nature of grit and think about how to build a culture of grit for all students, including the gifted. Reviewer Linda Bollendorf says the author, a former middle grades teacher, writes with humor and practicality.

The Grammar Bachelor: A Team Learning Activity

For many students, grammar is mostly about memorizing rules and having teachers correct their mistakes. Author Sean Ruday’s Bachelor Grammar activity helps them see how authors use grammatical concepts purposefully to make a piece of writing as strong as possible.