Future of History / US Constitution
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 12/15/2015 · Last modified 12/03/2019
What works to help 7th graders understand the US Constitution? Former HS teacher Lauren S. Brown got a crash course in teaching the document as she returned to full-time teaching this fall. Slowing the pace, using the primary source, and blending in current events all helped.
Like many other teachers, Curtis Chandler is trying to uncover all he can about learning and cognition to better understand and serve his students. Here he shares 3 brain-savvy teaching principles – beginning with the primacy-recency effect – drawn from recent research.
A class full of middle schoolers are ready to learn. But supplies are low, technology is sparse, and you have already spent too much of your own money for the classroom. Educational consultant Anne Anderson repurposes 3 classroom staples you’re sure to have.
Kids on the Cusp / Passion-based Learning
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 11/18/2015 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Mary Tarashuk has been so involved in deadlines and paperwork she’s barely had time to reconnect with the reasons she loves teaching. But here in November she finds a way to recapture the classroom magic and “Do Something Meaningful” with her fourth graders.
“I’m just like my country, I’m young scrappy and hungry, and I’m not throwing away my shot,” sings Alexander Hamilton in the Broadway show on his part in American history. Jody Passanisi & Shara Peters are enthusiastically sharing “Hamilton” with their 8th graders.
Because of the powerful way school culture shapes the activity of students, teachers, and administrators, it’s worth investing the effort to assure it sends a positive message. Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn suggest leadership actions to build values.
The difficulty students have in writing clearly can be traced to many factors, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, from muddled pre-CCSS standards to weak teaching practices. Here she offers concrete suggestions to correct persistent writing problems in the secondary grades.
Reading Learn Like a Pirate is “like having a front row seat in a master teacher’s classroom,” says educator Laura Von Staden. She recommends the book’s guidelines for empowering students as well as its plentiful resources to help each reader chart a fresh path.
In their follow-up to Notice & Note, Kylene Beers & Robert Probst consider the importance of stance, the power of signposts & the role of strategies in helping students become effective readers of nonfiction in every subject. Teacher Linda Biondi celebrates their success.
Educators may be reluctant to try memoir writing with middle grades students, but the rewards are considerable, says 8th grade teacher-author Jake Wizner. He shares three insights that can help guide teachers as they enrich the student writing experience.
