Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Grading That’s Fair, Specific and Timely

In FAST Grading, says veteran science/math teacher Joyce Depenbusch, Douglas Reeves has reached his goal of inspiring teachers and administrators to rethink grading and use his FAST strategies (Fair, Accurate, Specific, Timely) to optimize student learning.

A Practical Resource for School-Based Leaders

Principals and other school based leaders will find succinct, useful discussions of building level concerns in Williamson and Blackburn’s The Principalship from A-Z. Educational leadership professor Margaret Jones-Carey also recommends the book’s online resources.

Energize Your Classroom with Quality Questions

Quality questions are the “bait” that can hook students into deeper discussions and learning that sticks. Questioning expert Jackie Walsh shares a pair of videos and several templates that will help teachers plan a questioning process that pulls all students in.

Watching My Students Watch the Inauguration

After much discussion, Kevin Hodgson and his colleagues decided to have students watch the Inaugural Address and then respond to it. The 6th graders used sketchnoting to listen, then discussed their observations in the context of earlier studies about civic issues.

Narrative Writing Ideas Built on Mentor Texts

Sean Ruday’s practical ideas and teaching strategies for narrative writing should reduce the stress levels of writing teachers all across the country, writes consultant Anne Anderson. To speed things along, he has included excerpts from the mentor texts he features.

Called to the Middle: A Principal’s View

Called to the Middle is a primer for anyone considering the challenges of middle level teaching. Veteran MS educator Linda Mancia says Joey Eidson’s commitment to adolescent education comes through his relaxed writing style but notes some editorial shortcomings.