Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Rummaging Around LOC.gov for Text Sets

Text sets can help kids enrich their studies in any content area. MS teacher Kevin Hodgson tells how teachers are using Library of Congress primary resources to create engaging text sets that help students contextualize the present by exploring the past.

Teach Your Student Writers How to Add Details

Each lesson in Rozlyn Linder’s “The Big Book of Details” can be quickly implemented by busy teachers as they grab a tool from this practical writing kit, says teacher Sandy Wisneski. Activities and real-world examples guide students as they enrich their prose.

Mastering Test Anxiety: Student & Teacher Tips

Spring’s promise of renewal is just ahead. But for many educators, spring is also the season of testing anxiety. Curtis Chandler shares research and wisdom from fellow educators that can help turn angst into achievement for students and for their teachers.

Get Organized: Max Out Your Contacts App

Make the most of your digital Contacts app. In Part 3 of a productivity series for school leaders, organization consultant and former principal Frank Buck explains how to maximize such useful resources as contact notes, special ringtones, syncing, and more.

How Should We Prepare STEM Teachers?

How should the next generation of STEM teachers be prepared? Anne Jolly reports on the innovative UABTeach program at the University of Alabama Birmingham where undergrads can earn full teacher certification plus a math, science or engineering degree. What’s your superpower?

How to Help Students Own Their Learning

Every time Elisa Waingort opens Leaders of Their Own Learning, she finds another simple but brilliant suggestion to improve her teaching and the learning of her students. She recommends repeated reading of this fully resourced guide to student-driven learning and assessment.

Want to Create a Makerspace? Here’s How

When creating a makerspace, keep Laura Fleming’s “Worlds of Making” at hand. Her brief book covers the spectrum, from practical considerations to the impact of school culture, says Sandy Wisneski, herself in the midst of makerspace development.