Teaching and learning in grades 4-8
School leader DeAnna Miller remembers the geometry class of her teens as an unwelcoming place with low expectations for most students. She agrees with Stanford’s Jo Boaler that math can be a more vital and engaging subject when teachers help students adopt growth mindsets.
Staying abreast of cutting edge research is challenging for busy educators. Curtis Chandler spotlights two areas of current study that really impact student success – Trauma Informed Pedagogy and Collective Teacher Efficacy – and shares his own wish list for future inquiry.
I Is for Inquiry presents a diverse repertoire of concepts to help teachers be intentional about embedding inquiry-based teaching and learning strategies into their lessons and supporting K-12 students in embracing a learning mindset, writes Michael McLaughlin.
Jennifer Ingold wants her history students to make the connection between primary-source research and preparation for informed and civil disagreements. Learn about her MLK historical scene investigation activity and a virtual Black History Symposium among students in NY and FL.
Lately Michelle Russell’s students aren’t just talking about how anxious math makes them; many are lamenting about how boring math is. Beyond trying to make math fun via puzzles and games, she’s now looking for methods to spark more intrinsic interest in the world of numbers.
Language specialist Tan Huynh shares the process he’s developed to plan a unit for multilingual learners (and all students). Begin with the assessment – the global “forest” view of the unit – then the trees (lessons) and leaves (tasks). Tan walks you through each stage.
Telling us what not to read only makes it more intriguing. Amber Chandler confirmed this truth a decade ago, during The Year of Risque Reading. “The best thing that could have happened to my 8th graders’ literacy DID happen: a banned book was rebellion, and they were up for it.”
The new edition of Debbie Silver’s Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8 is an essential handbook for adults who want to help kids become committed, continuous learners. NBCT Kathie Palmieri finds the book’s attention to self-motivation, ZPD and growth mindset particularly helpful. Highly recommended.
Multimodal literacy autobiographies encourage students to reflect on the many ways they have developed literacy skills and offer valuable insights that help teachers shape instruction. Educators Erin Knauer and Kathryn Caprino share tips and examples to get students started.
Involving your students in creating public service announcements (PSAs) not only promotes media literacy, writes Frank Baker, it builds teamwork skills, energizes kids to conduct research into authentic social issues, and gives them opportunities to write with real purpose.