Teaching and learning in grades 4-8

Inspire Student Writers & Poets

Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli, the co-authors of Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections, K-8, have provided another “must have” resource for teachers of all disciplines – even poetry haters – says reviewer Linda Biondi.

A Wonderful Advisory Resource

The Advisory Book: Building a Community of Learners (2nd Edition) by Linda Crawford is an excellent resource for specific ideas & activities as well as the research that supports Advisory, says teacher educator Amanda Wall.

Research, Adventure & CCSS

Blend research into an adventure story? Reviewer Kevin Hodgson says this intriguing book, Writing to Explore: Discovering Adventure in the Research Paper, can help achieve standards for expository, informational & narrative writing.

Climbing Reading Ladders

Teacher Mark A. Domeier likes the concept behind Teri Lesesne’s reading ladders in Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where They Are to Where We’d Like Them to Be, but he says they’ll have to be adapted to the realities of middle school class size.

Theory Rooted in Rich Research

In Background Knowledge: The Missing Piece of the Comprehension Puzzle Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey focus on an essential topic, says reviewer Fran Toomey: How do we activate, access & build background knowledge in learners?