Kids develop STEM habits in the classroom, but they spend most of their time outside of school. That’s where parents and other adults can help to inspire, support, and continue their children’s STEM learning. Anne Jolly’s tip-filled letter to caregivers can help.
Dyslexia / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/17/2018 · Last modified 11/24/2019
What is the one thing that you would say challenges you the most as a teacher in an inclusive setting? Teaching coach Elizabeth Stein says her own experience with teachers and students this year brought dyslexia to the forefront. Learn how to meet the dyslexia challenge.
Future of History / Student Research
by Sarah Cooper · Published 04/10/2018 · Last modified 03/30/2024
As students research US history for Sarah Cooper, they are used to trying search terms on a screen. But when assignments require them to wander the stacks for books, sometimes they don’t know where to begin. Answering their questions has given her ideas to share here.
Research-based essays help our students fluently build, develop, and expand on their ideas. But in the real world, not every research process ends in a full-blown essay, says Angie Miller, who shares eight fun ways for students to practice and incorporate research skills.
How can teachers convince students that learning grammar is worth the effort and can improve their writing? Jeremy Hyler and Troy Hicks suggest ways to implement a range of online tools to bring grammar alive for classes. Lots of ideas, writes Erin Corrigan-Smith.
Close Reading the Media / The Grapes of Wrath
by Frank Baker · Published 03/26/2018 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Why do middle school students study The Great Depression? What do we want them to learn and understand about this period in American history? Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers a wealth of teaching ideas tied to the novel The Grapes of Wrath and its film treatment.
Co-teaching Reflections / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 03/21/2018 · Last modified 11/24/2019
After helping a co-teaching team talk through their student engagement challenges, coach Elizabeth Stein shares some of the guiding questions that helped the two teachers unpack their differing goals and philosophies and begin to find ways to reach more students.
It's Not Easy Being Tween / Spring Learning
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 03/11/2018 · Last modified 12/04/2019
With spring fever looming, Cheryl Mizerny breaks out her teacher-tested collection of apps and tools that can make her classroom more interactive, relevant and engaging – and her students more eager to learn. Check out Quizizz, Inklewriter and other digital all-stars.
How can teachers help students become deep thinkers and creative problem solvers – skills needed to solve the pressing challenges facing global societies? STEM provides a pathway. Expert Anne Jolly poses 11 questions that can help teachers design effective STEM lessons.
Future of History / Learning from Students
by Sarah Cooper · Published 02/27/2018 · Last modified 03/01/2022
Sarah Cooper’s eighth graders take a “Bread and Roses” metaphor from the Progressive Era to the fight for the ERA – making insightful comparisons Cooper had not anticipated. “Giving students room to make their own connections meant that they could teach me,” she says.
