Most elementary school students bring home spelling lists of one sort or another. The students who need to the greatest help with spelling will, when left to their own devices, put off studying for spelling until the last minute when it’s least likely to have a lasting impact on their memory. The students who are diligent about studying tend to be the ones who feel the most confident about orthography. I believe that one of the things that keeps students from studying until t

Learning math facts is an important step that helps students to better work with complex math equations as they get older. If they know the basics with automaticity, they can easily estimate answers and judge the reasonableness of their calculations. Children who don’t know their math facts tend to need more time for math work and are more prone to making easily preventable errors. Standards vary somewhat from school district to school district and between private schools, bu

Writing becomes less intimidating when writers slowly build up their endurance. In much the same way that young readers practice sustained s

Better data can also inform better learning decisions. If we can use feedback to grow, we will learn more and learn better. But if we never

A lot of children are great at remembering the list of things they must do each night, but not as good at prioritizing that list and plannin