Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

What School Should Really Be About

It remains unclear to Mary Tarashuk how rampant standardized testing is actually helping her fourth graders become successful and enthusiastic learners. As she prepares for her own evaluation, Mary shares pushback from parents, students, and HBO’s John Oliver.

A School Where Inquiry Flourishes

With its inquiry focus, Learning for Real reminded reviewer Linda Biondi of “the value of teaching thinking strategies, connecting content learning and content literacy, and making my classroom a place where my students’ passion for learning is evident.”

4 Ways to Motivate Kids to Tackle Complex Text

Seventh grade teacher Kami Spampinato uses four kid-savvy strategies to get her students to “buy in” to reading complex texts. In this post, former MS educator Anne Vilen of Expeditionary Learning summarizes each technique and shares supporting EL videos.

STEM Is Not a Threat to a Liberal Education

Op-ed columnists often spread misconceptions about STEM education, says expert Anne Jolly. An article by Fareed Zakaria claims STEM is threatening the future of liberal education, but Jolly says good STEM programs can actually address several of Zakaria’s concerns.

Help Students Close Read Iconic Images

Every day news images flood our print publications, digital spaces and social media apps. Why do some become iconic and unforgettable? Media literacy expert Frank Baker suggests ways that students can explore this question through close reading & research.

Establishing a Making Space in Your School

Laura Fleming’s Worlds of Making is an excellent guide to establishing a school-based center where students can be involved in creative “maker” activities. From finding space and getting buy-in to building student engagement, this short book has the answers, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.

Reading Workshop for Web 2.0

Reading Workshop 2.0: Supporting Readers in the Digital Age by Frank Serafini is a useful tool for helping teachers move toward integrating technology into their reading instruction, including plenty of reviewed online resources, says reviewer Laura Von Staden.

When Race Enters the Classroom Conversation

When one of Kevin Hodgson’s 6th graders asked about using the “n” word, his class fell silent. In this Working Draft post, he shares the mini-lesson he responded with and also the resources he’s since found to help students build an understanding of racism and the evolution of language.