3-5 Upper Elementary
Explore and share tips, strategies, and resources for helping students develop in elementary school grades 3-5.
Activities to Spark Students’ Curiosity in the Classroom
Inquisitive hooks, or activities designed to spark students’ curiosity, make the start of a new lesson fun, boosting their motivation to learn.275Exploring 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.1MActivating 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.9.5k60-Second Strategy: Jitter Sticks
When students need to get their wiggles out so they can settle down to learn, this simple movement-based brain break does the trick.2.2kUsing 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.8.8kUsing an SEL Tool Called the Mood Meter in Elementary Math
With these examples for grades 1 to 5, students can develop social and emotional skills while they learn to analyze data through graphing.794Making Students Feel Safe
A trauma-informed approach ensures that students feel safe, supported, and nurtured—to improve their chances of academic success.129.4kHow a School Made Play Central to Learning
At a primary school in the UK, both students and teachers have become more engaged and curious as a result of a shift to a fully play-based approach—and learning has become more joyful for everyone.3.4kIs 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.’54.3kStrategies for Supporting Students’ Speaking and Listening Skills
Many students struggle with these skills, which are tied to academic success. Here are a few ways to teach them explicitly.1.3k8 Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom
Educators share their best synchronous and asynchronous strategies to boost student participation during online learning.49.7k13 Formative Assessments That Inspire Creativity
Sometimes mixing in formative assessments that go a step beyond exit slips and low-stakes quizzes can inject some fun—and creativity—into learning.4k