George Lucas Educational Foundation

3-5 Upper Elementary

Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in elementary school grades 3-5.

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  • The Power of the Pineapple: Helping Kids Learn Self-Regulation

    Observing nature can be an effective method for young students to discuss and understand their emotions in a calm learning environment.
    Lisa Tiemersma, Katie Brown
    4
    481
  • Using Read-Alouds to Support Social and Emotional Learning

    Teachers can support elementary students’ literacy skills through focused read-alouds that also target SEL competencies.
  • Exploring Before Explaining Sparks Learning

    New elementary science teachers can build student engagement and enhance learning by using the explore-before-explain approach.
  • The Benefits of Using Choice Boards in Math

    How math choice boards can enable new elementary teachers to meet the needs of their individual learners while employing mathematical rigor.
  • A Framework for Building Older Students’ Literacy Skills

    Encouraging middle school students to read books of all genres and reading levels can reignite their interest in reading.
  • The Sensory Room: Helping Students With Autism Focus and Learn

    Imagine a safe space where students with autism can go to calm their bodies and then get back to the business of learning.
    1M
  • Activating Learning by Milling to Music

    When students pretend they’re at a fancy party making small talk, a simple brainstorm for writing ideas becomes more lively, more cooperative—and more effective.
    14.7k
  • A Daily Practice That Students Can Use for Self-Regulation

    Knowing what makes them feel grounded can help students—and teachers—regain their calm during times of extreme stress.
    3
    1.1k
  • An Arts-Integrated Approach to Establishing Classroom Expectations

    Dance, drama, visual arts, and music offer engaging entry points for creating classroom expectations and community norms.
    3
    164
  • Dedicating Space for Curiosity and Exploration

    By turning a plain old hallway into a destination that every class visits regularly to tinker and play, a school made limited resources go further and saw student enthusiasm soar.
    3.2k
  • Making Students Feel Safe

    A trauma-informed approach ensures that students feel safe, supported, and nurtured—to improve their chances of academic success. 
    129.6k
  • Using Movement to Teach Vocabulary

    When students explore new words through movement, they understand them better, retain them longer, and feel more empowered to use them.
    9.4k
  • Illustration concept showing reading comprehension

    Is it Time to Drop ‘Finding the Main Idea’ and Teach Reading in a New Way?

    Some schools are changing the way they teach reading—based on research that shows background knowledge is more critical to comprehension than general skills like ‘finding the main idea.’
    54.7k
  • A 5-Step Classroom Management Makeover

    If you’re experiencing behavioral issues with your students, here’s a strategy to try to get back on track for a successful year.
    3
    1.7k
  • Creating Effective and Efficient Breaks for Students During the School Day

    Short breaks allow students who struggle with regulation time to regroup, which improves their learning outcomes.
    292

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George Lucas Educational Foundation

Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
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