Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Taking Middle Schoolers’ Reading Journals Online

Educators Daniel Rose and Christine Walsh receive a thank-you note for their new book, Talking Through Reading and Writing: Online Reading Conversation Journals” from middle school director and teacher Jeny Randall. She’s ready to reinvigorate her practice with their ideas.

A Trio of New YA Books Written in Verse Form

New YA books by Amanda Gorman, Lois Lowry and Margarita Engle are all written in verse, says Katie Caprino, yet each tells a story in a different way. One is a poem to America. Another is memoir. And the third is historical fiction, set in 1990s Cuba, with a singing dog.

It’s Pride Month! Books Featuring LGBTQ Teens

In celebration of Pride Month, 8th grade ELA teacher Kasey Short highlights 12 YA books featuring LGBTQIA+ characters who represent diverse identities, sexualities, experiences and families – showing young teens experiences that may be similar to or different from their own.

Using Guided Practice with Hesitant Readers

Literacy experts Robb and Harrison draw directly from their current middle grades teaching practice to identify the causes of reading hesitancy. Their tested lessons focus on improving student reading and vocabulary using videos and high-interest texts included in the book.

Building School Cultures That Support Us All

Handle with Care offers today’s educators a unique set of strategies for building strong cultures in schools that help everyone work more effectively to accomplish the challenging task of preparing students for the brightest futures possible, writes reviewer Dr. Stoney Beavers.

It’s Time to Reimagine Reading Comprehension

Educator and author Nancy Boyles helps teachers plan for accelerating reading comprehension in post-pandemic classrooms by rethinking answer frames and strengthening instruction using more nuanced strategies that involve all students in complex tasks for complex texts.

Trauma and Teaching: Boundaries and Bridges

In relating to students experiencing trauma, teachers need to consider boundaries – how much we share of ourselves and how we respect our students’ personal spaces. Alex Shevrin Venet offers her insights about equity and trauma in school and ways to respond and build bridges.