Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

50 Easy-to-Implement Reading Response Ideas

Easy to implement suggestions and detailed reading response lessons make educator Marilyn Pryle’s recent book a helpful addition to the Common Core ELA bookshelf. Reviewer Sandy Wisneski recommends its common-sense resources for modeling, assessing, and practice.

How Playing with Stories Helps Us Learn

Playing with Stories is THE book for those in love with stories and those who believe that we “think in story,” says reviewer, poet and retired principal Mary Langer Thompson. Author Kevin Cordi shares strategies for building stories solo, with a partner or within small groups.

Number Talks Will Deepen Understanding

Making Number Talks Matter guides teachers in implementing frequent 15-minute conversations that help students make sense of math relationships and apply strategies to manipulate numbers mentally. Reviewer Jennifer Druffel is planning Number Talks in her classroom next year.

7 Tech Tools for Fast Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is good practice, as every teacher knows, says tech consultant Curtis Chandler, but finding time to measure individual student understanding is challenging. Chandler offers seven apps that can make the practice both routine and engaging.

Cage-Busting Teachers Go After Solutions

Educators who read policy pundit Rick Hess’s new book The Cage-Busting Teacher will find plenty to disagree with, says instructional specialist Curtis Chandler, but “they will also learn quite a bit about their potential and influence as an educator.”