Teaching and learning in grades 4-8
The Change the Equation coalition and its STEMworks database can help K12 STEM programs test themselves against high standards and earn the support of corporate philanthropy, says MiddleWeb blogger Anne Jolly. Next application deadline: March 7.
The Essentials of Mathematics K-6: Effective Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment provides a general overview of curriculum development, but with its 2006 copyright, reviewer Susan Mielechowsky finds its use limited in the current Common Core environment.
It’s report card time again – when carefully constructed comments join all those letter grades to say something to parents about each student’s progress. Mary Tarashuk shares some of her “eggshell” observations, and lets us in on the translations.
Former middle grades teacher Daniel Fountenberry says his experiences struggling to organize group reading sessions among students with varied reading skills led him to develop adaptive technology that tailors the “same” book to different readers.
Historical accounts are seldom objective, write history teachers Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters. They recommend several strategies from their own classrooms that educators can use to help students detect bias and compare varying perspectives.
The Essentials of Science, Grades 7–12: Effective Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment, by Rick Allen, is a great reference to use when preparing to teach a new unit or reflecting on a lesson recently taught, says reviewer Deborah Gaff, who likes Allen’s inquiry focus.
Reviewer and middle grades teacher Judi Holst strongly recommends Troy Hicks’ Crafting Digital Writing to any teacher who uses writing in their classroom and is ready to more deeply engage today’s digital-savvy students. It’s easy to read and full of ideas, she says.
The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools & Activities for Meeting the Challenges of Each School Day functions as a ‘teacher’s encyclopedia’ but an unfriendly index is a challenge, says reviewer Lena Welch.
Author and literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo shares six tips and a simple, user-friendly graphic organizer that can guide middle grades teachers as they unpack the ELA Common Core standards to create objectives & activities. From her upcoming book.
Current policies & practices supported by education reformers do not assure that students with disabilities can achieve Common Core standards, says special educator Elizabeth Stein. Inclusion students and teachers are trapped in a tangled web.