For Teachers

This spring, we have curated a selection of six excellent books that teach kids about ecological awareness. They make great reading for a whole family and will help you foster your child’s love and appreciation for nature. All the stories are age-appropriate for readers in preschool and elementary grades and can be read both at home and in classroom!

Learning about all the ways the sun supports life is an important part of the elementary science curriculum. It’s also an exciting topic of hands-on experiments for kids. Let’s perform some extraordinary science experiments that demonstrate the power of the sun!

Many girls grow up watching princesses. They are supposed to teach girls to be prim and proper, to be demure, and to be attentive to other people’s needs. Society tells girls they can be anything, and at the same time quietly pressures them to be pleasing and accommodating. While making sure girls grow up to be nice and polite, we might be accidentally eroding their bravery.

If we want to change this pattern, we need to rethink how we support girls every day.

Being an educator that has taught lower and upper grades math subjects, it was very noticeable that place value is one of the most important math concepts students need to understand. It supports future skills like addition, subtraction, and understanding larger numbers. First grade is when place value is learned as a foundational skill. At this age, many children can count well, but place value teaches them that numbers are made of groups, not just counted one by one.

During the 3rd grade, reading instruction reaches a critical juncture in which students use their acquired reading skills as a tool for learning across all subject areas. In a recent article, we talked about how children strengthen their skills during the 1st grade and begin making that transition in grade 2. This becomes even more important in the 3rd grade as they are expected to begin developing text analysis skills.

If you’re wondering about what you can do to help boost your 3rd grader’s reading comprehension to enhance their learning, join us as we explore some of the most critical aspects to focus on to help foster those important skills.

Second grade is a critical year for young readers; by the end of first grade, reading acquisition is well underway, and students must make the transition from learning to read to reading to learn. In other words, children must be fluent enough to move beyond merely decoding words so they may read and learn information across all subject areas.

So, what can parents and teachers do to boost their second graders’ comprehension skills? Focus on the following specific strategies to build and foster strong reading comprehension throughout grade two.

When the kids are home from school and the snow is falling outside, there’s just something magical about curling up on the couch with a good book. And what better way to share the cozy, wintertime vibes than by reading winter-themed books with your children? This holiday season, make precious new memories with your kids by stocking up on Christmas, New Year, and wintertime children’s titles that are perfect for ages 3-7. And when reading doesn’t have to end for the night, turn on the TV to watch your child’s favorite tales come to life on the screen. 

In this article, our author Lori Toney shares some titles that have become favorites in her family’s household over the years. So, warm up the hot cocoa and keep reading to discover the best books to add to your family’s bookshelf:

No matter what subject or grade level, children must continuously work at expanding their vocabulary to understand the world around them. With so many words to learn, it’s important to offer exciting new ways to master them. Let’s explore fun, interactive activities to boost your students’ vocabulary that are perfect for a variety of subject areas.

In the previous article, we explored why boys face more struggles in school — from their focus and self-control to managing frustration. But understanding the problem is only the first step.

This follow-up article will dive deeper into the how: how we can support boys’ social-emotional growth so they can have better focus, cooperation, and help them handle their emotions in positive ways. Drawing on research and classroom experience, let’s look at the issues, what could be the reasons, and the strategies we can use at home and in the classroom.

Over the past six years in the classroom, I have watched a familiar scene unfold: girls often excel academically, while boys sometimes fall behind. Year after year, I see girls quietly absorbed in the task given to them, while boys fidget and wrestle with staying on task. Because focus and attention are the cornerstones of learning, their absence can make the journey through school much harder and leave lasting effects.

To understand why boys often fall behind, it is helpful to first look at how their development differs from girls, so we can better support their needs.