Students who feel a strong connection to their classmates and teachers are much more likely to persist and achieve shared goals, learn respect, and develop communication skills. Teaching expert Julia Thompson offers strategies to help build positive communities.
Frank Buck provides a total organizational system for the busy classroom or administrative leader. Mary Langer Thompson reports his paper and digital strategies, all presented in a user-friendly and supportive tone, cost little and can be implemented immediately.
In “Text Structures From the Masters,” educators Gretchen Bernabei and Jennifer Koppe did the hard work for English and social studies teachers of grades 6–10 when they collected 50 quality, nonfiction mentor texts and created an easy-to-follow lesson structure for each one.
Bill Ivey, teacher and middle school dean at independent Stoneleigh-Burnham School for girls, is on a quest to increase the student voice, choice and agency in his 7th grade classroom. In this end-of-year reflection, Ivey shares some next steps he’s considering.
Current Events / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 05/31/2016 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Jody Passanisi, an eighth grade teacher and author of “History Class Revisited,” uses a three-step scaffolding process to help students raise their awareness between events currently taking place and the historical events they study in the social studies curriculum.
Adding 5 minutes to 4 content classes this past year meant losing morning homeroom for Kevin Hodgson’s 6th graders. No time to “check in” with each other, do community-building activities, and forge an identity as a group of learners. He’s missed it terribly.
Kids on the Cusp / Learning Revolution
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/30/2016 · Last modified 11/16/2019
As her fourth graders study the lead-up to the American Revolution, Mary Tarashuk finds echoes in today’s confrontation over free speech pitting test makers against teachers and students who question the validity of test elements. Free history resources included.
Interactive writing can help teachers to differentiate and integrate. In “Interactive Writing Across Grades” Kate Roth and Joan Dabrowski detail effective ways to use a familiar K-3 writing strategy in grades 4-6, says reviewer and literacy coach Pam Hamilton.
Though David Sherrin’s lessons and examples are especially helpful to English and social studies classes, any teacher wanting to try the engaging strategy of role playing will appreciate his book full of how-to ideas, says 7th grade teacher Emily Prissel.
What motivates teens to innovate in STEM? Anne Jolly researches the background of young inventors who are making a difference for our 21st century lives and identifies some common experiences that helped them be successful, including the support of teachers.
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