The Transcription Strand of the Writing Rope
The transcription strand of the writing rope includes skills that schools used to view as the most important in writing. In many classrooms, students learned little more than handwriting and spelling in the writing classroom. While these skills are important, recent years have seen a decline in the focus on these skills. Instead, students are […]
Composition Strands of the Writing Rope
Joan Sedita’s Writing Rope, based on Harris Scarborough’s Reading Rope, provides an excellent visual for how kids learn to write. Just like the Reading Rope, the Writing Rope consists of strands that represent the key components of writing. These strands intertwine and work together to build strong writers. Four of the five strands of the […]
Learning Math Through Literacy
Many people think of math and reading as separate subjects. While the skills involved in each are quite different, there are so many ways and reasons to connect them. Aside from having students read and solve word problems, there are lots of other creative ways to integrate math and literacy. Here are some of our […]
Resources for Learning Vocabulary
No one can deny the importance of building a strong vocabulary. Even if your child had robust vocabulary instruction last year, chances are, he isn’t keeping up with it this summer. Just a few minutes of vocab practice a day can help keep those skills sharp. Here are some of our favorite web-based resources for summer […]
8 Strategies for Struggling Math Students
Anyone who has struggled in math knows the frustration of not knowing how to go about solving a problem. Whether the math struggle comes from confusion, difficulty with numbers, and/or simple lack of motivation, the struggle is the same. Here are eight strategies that often help address some of the root causes of problems in […]
Problem-Based Learning in Math
Problem-based learning is a teaching strategy in which teachers present content using real-world examples and scenarios. PrBL activities are student-centered in that teachers facilitate student discovery of a solution. This differs from traditional “stand and deliver” instruction, in which the teacher presents students with information and students learn it. With problem-based learning, students arrive at […]
Teaching Students How to Write Math Problems
The only thing more valuable to a developing mathematician than practicing solving word problems is writing them. Of course, learning how to solve word problems efficiently, accurately, and flexibly are crucial in building students’ math skills. They need to learn how to filter out unnecessary details, plan and organize their steps, and make sure their […]
Learning Vocabulary: Greek and Latin Roots
Well over half of the words in the English language come from Greek or Latin. So you can see how useful it would be to teach at least the more common roots to students in order for them to best make sense of our language. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always happen. Teaching Greek and Latin roots […]
What are Suffixes?
Are you a passionate educator? Do you love helping kids understand suffixes? Join our team and become a Braintrust tutor today! Suffixes are word parts that are added to the end of a root word to change its meaning. Knowing what suffixes mean can help students make sense of unknown words they come across. Spelling […]
Good Screen Time
This year set a new precedent for screen time. Many kids spent their entire school day on a screen. That doesn’t include all of the time they spent on screens unwinding after their school day was done. It’s a pretty safe bet to assume that we’ll never go back to being completely screen-free again. And […]
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