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Teaching and learning in grades 4-8
12 Great Reads for the National Day of Writing
NCTE’s National Day on Writing (#WhyIWrite) is Friday, October 20. To help celebrate, we’ve pulled together a dozen of the many great posts about teaching writing that are freely available at MiddleWeb. You’ll find ideas, inspiration, and ready-to-use activities here.
Teaching the Highs and Lows of American History
There’s no perfect teaching recipe that balances patriotism and civic responsibility, says middle school history teacher Lauren Brown. But if educators attempt to ignore the low points in America’s past, they’ll insult students’ intelligence and lose their trust.
How Important Is the “Why” in Math Class?
Math students retain more and gain confidence when they understand why a process works. But some are more interested than others in learning about the Why. Michelle Russell considers how she can best include the Why as students learn the How of problem solving.
Here’s How You Can Help Students Set Goals
Educators talk about giving students “voice, choice and agency,” says NBCT Rita Platt, but how does that actually happen in a practical, curriculum-friendly way? Platt believes the secret is teaching students to set goals. Learn about her 5-step process (tools included).
10 Easy Class Hacks Boost PBL and Inquiry
Hacking Project Based Learning is a rich resource for teachers and administrators who want to begin implementing project-oriented inquiry learning, says PBL teacher Sandy Wisneski. She appreciates the strong emphasis on student ownership in each of the book’s 10 hacks.
Helping Students Manage Behavior in the Moment
Moment to Moment helps educators empower students to recognize what may “trigger” a behavior problem and how to react positively in that moment. Linda Biondi says teachers will benefit from the case studies of several student types that are followed through the book.
Hard Conversations Can Lead to Positive Change
The framework Jennifer Abrams develops in Hard Conversations Unpacked focuses on professional growth, and ultimately on positive outcomes for student learning. Principal Mike Janatovich will never again attempt a challenging conversation without this guidance.
Empowering Students as Digital Leaders
By expanding our focus in school from digital citizenship (safety) to digital leadership (effective voice), teacher and author Jennifer Casa-Todd says educators can help students learn to harness social media in powerful and meaningful ways, for the common good.
When Being Nonpartisan Feels Just Too Difficult
Regardless of where educators land politically, it can sometimes feel like tiptoeing through a minefield to facilitate a balanced discussion of current events, writes teacher Sarah Cooper. Are there times when it’s appropriate for teachers to reveal their own views?
ELLs: Try These 5 Scaffolds in Any Subject
If we provide scaffolds for the students who need it – especially ELLs who represent so many different backgrounds – we can promote independent learning. Valentina Gonzalez offers five easy-to-implement strategies to help make lessons ELL-friendly in any content area.
