Richardson and Dufresne’s The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics helps educators differentiate and imbed phonics and word study skills within a variety of literacy contexts. Reading specialist Beth Hassinger shares how she plans to use the book’s resources with real success.
Students in the middle are facing a perfect storm of stress, anxiety and overwhelm. Educators Trisha DiFazio and Allison Roeser share ways to help them grow a sense of connectedness and belonging with easy to implement SEL strategies for all content areas. Start with Battery Life!
Imagine an activity that takes little class time but engages students in current events and encourages them to speak with their families about what’s happening in the world. Teacher Megan Kelly longed for just such an activity and finally found it in “fantasy geopolitics.”
Choice in reading is about student autonomy and motivation. It’s especially effective with kids who don’t like to read. Stephanie Farley’s well-honed system lets 8th graders read any text they choose AND meets standards – even though they never all read the same book.
To guide middle grades students into paying more attention to poetry – and reconsidering their often negative attitudes about reading and writing poems – author and teacher Linda Rief suggests kids create heart books, do quickwrites and illustrate lines of their own work.
Help your middle graders grow academically and behaviorally with these monthly SEL themes and activities developed by middle school teacher leader Kasey Short and her counseling colleague Janani Buford. Just right for busy teachers to incorporate into their advisories!
While logic and skill are two important elements in advancing math knowledge, students also need to be immersed in the language of math to succeed. Kathleen Palmieri brainstormed with her fifth graders to develop fun strategies that help them understand and apply math terms.
Katie Caprino offers three ideas for using Zillah Bethell’s YA novel The Shark Caller to engage your middle grades ELA students in social emotional learning. Caprino’s activities build on how the young characters interact as they face the impact of deaths in their families.
Fresh teaching ideas engulf math teachers each fall. Which strategies take priority as we seek to help students have the best year ever? Teacher and coach Mona Iehl recommends three: build classroom community, review and augment resources, and select engaging lesson formats.
In Successful Online Learning with Gifted Students, author Vicki Phelps offers guidelines for getting started with online tools and engaging advanced learners in grades 5-8 using virtual and blended lessons. A winner that will reward his future students, writes Kevin Cordi.
