Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

A Lively History Activity for Presidents’ Day

When U.S. history teachers Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters celebrate Presidents’ Day, all 43 presidents are featured. Eighth graders research and assume the identity of an assigned president, then campaign in costume for reelection among 6th & 7th grade “voters.”

How to Make Genius Hour Happen

In The Genius Hour Guidebook Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi make the case for sharing Genius Hour with your students, explaining why it works and how to bring it alive for your classes. Educator Sandy Wisneski says the easy read is packed with resources.

Say NO to Silos in Your STEM Program

STEM courses don’t belong in silos. Anne Jolly recommends bringing science, technology, engineering and math together in class to help students understand how the disciplines work together in the real world. She includes questions to pose about your STEM program.

The Super Bowl That Is My Classroom

4th grade teacher and NFL fan Mary Tarashuk has been watching lots of football lately, prepping for the Super Bowl. Given her love of metaphors, it’s no surprise she finds some analogies between quarterbacks and teachers running plays in their classroom arenas.

New Edition of a Brain-Friendly Classic

The 3rd edition of Marcia Tate’s “Worksheets Don’t Grow Dendrites” continues to be a research based, easy to read book that is guaranteed to provide you with strategies that engage your students and their brains. Reviewer Linda Biondi offers some choice examples.

Rigor Made Easy: 3 Ways to Go Deeper

Raising the level of rigor in your classroom does not have to be difficult or require a separate lesson, says author and learning consultant Barbara Blackburn. She lays out three engaging teaching strategies that can push students to higher levels of thinking.

Engineering Language Arts to Excite MS Kids

In 112 pages, Elyse S. Scott shares how she engineered (designed and created) lessons to achieve the learning goals for her 8th graders. The ELA activities and projects she shares are sure to produce readers, writers, and thinkers, says reviewer Anne Anderson.