Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

10 Cool Ways to Teach with Word Clouds

Wordl clouds are everywhere, in every color and size. Middle grades teacher and Scholastic author Marilyn Pryle shows 10 ways word clouds made from free generators on the web can be crafted into powerful literacy teaching tools, using the right prompts and directions.

Students & the Outdoors

Hands-on learning can spark students’ imagination when school moves outdoors. It can also increase engagement & improve academic performance. Teachers and administrators from coast to coast are finding ways to open doors to Nature.

How to Develop Deep Student Discussions

Reviewer Sherry Drake has already tried the questioning strategies suggested by Jackie Walsh and Beth Sattes to involve middle schoolers of varied abilities in a mini research project. The authors offered just what she needed to engage her students in deeper thinking.

Tools to Help Writers Explain Good Evidence

Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo shares teacher Jamison Fort’s engaging multi-day lesson that helps student writers sort through multiple claims in the case of Sandra the Orangutan and identify the best evidence to support arguments. Graphic organizer included!

I Think I’ve Found My Dream STEM School

Anne Jolly is ready to return to the classroom, so long as she can teach at Fisher Middle, a flexible facility designed to maximize student learning, with fully integrated technology, a project based STEAM curriculum; and built-in teacher collaboration and professional learning.

Get Students Working Effectively in Groups

Effective group work sparks student engagement and builds communication skills for the future. But how do teachers structure teamwork activities so kids are cooperative and everyone learns? Instructional expert Barbara Blackburn offers a step-by-step blueprint.

A Hybrid Approach to Mobile Devices

Susan Brooks-Young offers a gateway to designing a Hybrid Mobile Technology Program in any unique school district setting. Her brief book features an abundance of resources, guidelines, and questions, says Joshua Zagorski, a K-12 STEM supervisor and instructional technologist.