Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Understanding How Kids Think about Math

Math teachers wondering how their students came up with wrong answers will find lots to use in Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction. Videoed children explain their solutions and so reveal teaching insights, says reviewer Maia Fastabend.

Hope, Help and Wisdom for Novice Teachers

Although “You Can Do This” is targeted to 1st year teachers, experienced educators & new administrators can also benefit from reading about a novice teacher’s experiences through the lens of an accomplished instructional leader, says reviewer Jason Gordon.

Gallagher: Staying True to What Works in ELA

Teachers will see the standards movement differently after finishing Kelly Gallagher’s “In The Best Interest of Students.” Reviewer Beth Morrow expects readers will have a renewed passion for making a difference in students’ lives with best ELA practices.

Taking Poetry Writing into Digital Spaces

Using Google Slides for poetry writing proved to be a win-win for Kevin Hodgson and his 6th graders, who tried out various poetic forms, used technology to publish original writing, applied elements of web design, and learned to attribute the work of others.

Don’t Let Class Tech Be Just a Garnish

Teacher Cheryl Mizerny is not anti-tech, just anti-bad pedagogy – the kind that crops up when the garnish of tech overshadows the deep learning that can happen when teaching is “brain based, not screen-based.” Make the app fit the lesson, she says, not the other way around.

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.