A material commonly known as Flubber, with properties that are excellent for teaching about glaciers, has been widely used in geosciences education. Yet, the original recipe contains borax, which has health risks that should be avoided. A new recipe is shared containing low-cost, readily available ingredients that produces a reformulated Flubber…

Abstract This article provides an overview of the importance of and the steps to undertaking a classroom library diversity audit. It begins by situating the importance of the classroom library in children's development because literature can reflect and expand worldviews. Next, statistics of U.S. children's literature publishing and U.S. classroom…

During the first year of life, children begin to develop preferences for their own racial group over others. To interrupt the development of these and other biases during infancy and toddlerhood, educators can use books to promote anti-racist and anti-bias thinking and behaviors in children, while also supporting children's emergent literacy. This…

The low participation of Pacific students in tertiary STEM studies has implications for schools as they consider how best to engage these learners in STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). This article reports on an innovative project that supports Pacific learners with STEM learning through 3D printing technology.…

This article describes a comprehensive framework (iDISC) for the close reading of informational texts for elementary students that may need additional language, social, memory, or behavioral supports. The article introduces concrete tools that are used before, during, and after close reading, including cue-cards, language stems, discussion…

In this Teaching Tips article four time-saving systems to organize an elementary classroom library for successful inquiry instruction are shared. These systems include: Topic, Genre, Author, and Craft. Examples to assist teachers in organizing their own classroom libraries using one or more of these systems are also provided.

Sometimes, despite the most perfectly delivered writing lesson implemented with fidelity, students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) do not make the progress expected by teachers or themselves. In these instances, teachers may individualize and differentiate for students with EBD not making adequate progress by purposefully…

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many professional development programs have been canceled or postponed. Many teachers are working from home, at least in part, limiting how frequently they can interact with colleagues and interrupting the ease of popping in on the teacher next door. Because these common resources are out of reach, teachers…

Audacity is a multi-platform free, open-source audio recorder and editor software. The advantage of Audacity software is as follows: easy installation and simple visual interface, no registrations or hardware requirements, and availability at no cost might make it a preferred software to carry out class demonstrations and lab activities for an…

Students encounter mathematics word problems as early as kindergarten and continue to see them throughout their schooling experience. Schema instruction with an attack strategy can support students to successfully navigate word-problem solving. Schemas help students categorize word problems by similar characteristics. To better support students…

It has been observed that nature and science school programs have become popular in the educational environment in Turkey, and these programs are seen as a way to improve students' attitudes towards science. The general aim of these programs is to demonstrate how scientific facts and concepts in various fields are related to daily life and to make…

As teacher educators who need to support the next generation of practitioners with technology and practice in the post-COVID teaching landscape, we draw on PICRAT (Kimmons, Graham, and West 2020) to guide our instructional work. This paper primarily addresses the ways that PICRAT has moved beyond TPACK and SAMR, two foundational theories for…

This paper focuses on the ways educators can work within the guidelines of copyright while using digital media to develop educational content in legal and ethical ways by exploring several key contemporary trends in digital content creation. Educators need not create learning materials from scratch, as the pool of resources available via the…

In the United States, the number of dual language learners has rapidly increased, requiring essential instructional support, especially for young children. Without the intentional teaching of academic vocabulary, academic words are not incorporated into the repertoire of emergent bilingual children (EBC). A recent systematic review of vocabulary…

In this practitioner-based teaching tip, the authors provide pragmatic tips to teachers regarding the integration of global education and literacy instruction. Through the pairing of the Sustainable Development Goals and carefully selected trade books, teachers are provided with a framework that can help them get started transforming their…