As Mary Tarashuk’s fourth graders took part in the Hour of Code this past December – assuming then switching roles as drivers and navigators in a code writing exercise – she considered how she might play the navigator more often in her own classroom.
Exploring History / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 12/04/2014 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Teaching students to “think like historians” begins with making connections between past and present, says teacher Mary Tarashuk. As her 4th graders begin the Age of Exploration, she calls on a Tai Chi parent-expert to help bridge ancient and modern times.
Kids on the Cusp / Parent Engagement
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 09/23/2014 · Last modified 11/21/2019
As a 4th grade teacher, Mary Tarashuk is responsible for helping her students begin the transition from early to more independent learning. At Back-to-School Night, Tarashuk talked with parents about why kids will benefit from some academic struggle.
Kids on the Cusp / Teaching writing
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/27/2014 · Last modified 11/30/2019
Having helped her students visualize scenes and characters during read alouds, Mary Tarashuk tries the same idea with writing. She and her students “write aloud” as they create text to match the opening illustrations from The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Then they envision their own stories.
Mary Tarashuck recalls the holiday Venn diagrams she and her 4th graders organized for the first grade kids and imagines some circles of her own – celebrating her colleagues and her past accomplishments and setting some goals for the future.
Kids on the Cusp / Teacher Evaluation
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 10/28/2013 · Last modified 01/20/2014
4th grade teacher Mary Tarashuk continues to dissect herself using NJ’s teacher self-assessment rubrics. This time: Delivery of Instruction. Spotlight, please.
Integrating curriculum / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 08/18/2013 · Last modified 11/14/2019
In her 4th grade classroom, Mary Tarashuk teaches it all. The index cards that helped her grapple with curriculum in her first years may have a different use today.
About Kids on the Cusp / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 07/07/2013 · Last modified 05/19/2020
MiddleWeb’s newest blogger, Mary Tarashuk, will write about “teaching it all” to tweens in fourth and fifth grades. She begins with some personal backstory!
Blogging is essential in Pernille Ripp’s classroom. “It’s a way to check their emotional temperature & for them to talk to the world.” Here’s her 10-step process.
New Jersey fourth grade teacher Mary Tarashuk shares a powerful reflection on tragedy and teachable moments.
