After a hectic year impacted by a global pandemic, elementary summer school programs may play a crucial role this year in getting students caught up on math, ELA, and other standardized test subjects in just a few weeks. But with Studies Weekly’s print and online resources, summer school can be stress-free for you and fun…
A Teacher’s Guide to Celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Diverse perspectives strengthen education, according to Heather Singmaster’s EdWeek article from November 2018. They broaden students’ view of history and teach them to respect people from different cultures. This month, you have the opportunity to foster students’ appreciation for Asian/Pacific Americans by celebrating Asian…
How Teachers Can Overcome Compassion Fatigue One in three children in the United States suffers at least one serious trauma, according to the 2018 National Survey for Children’s Health. As an elementary school teacher, that means a third of your students may struggle with a form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Supporting your students through…
Improving Students’ Critical Thinking with the 5E Model One of the best instructional strategies for developing students’ critical thinking skills is the 5E model. This active learning approach teaches students how to dig deeper into any given topic using these five phases: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. Researchers created the 5E model in 1987…
Why Students Should Debate Controversial Topics in History In a world of fake news and polarized politics, your teachers have a responsibility to teach students how to evaluate and value different opinions. The challenge is helping students overcome my-side bias — the tendency to evaluate information and test hypotheses based on prior opinions. When students…
25 Fun End-of-Year Celebration Ideas for Remote Learning What a year! No doubt after all the changes and adjustments you’ve had to make these last two school years, you are ready for summer to begin. However, before you get ready to jump into the swimming pool, binge-watch your favorite TV show, or tackle professional development…
Using Inquiry-Based Learning in Four Easy Steps Students learn at a deeper level when they ask lots of questions, according to John Nabors, Studies Weekly product manager and former educator. In a recent webinar, Nabors showed a graph that revealed that the older children get, the fewer questions they ask. He suggested this might be…
Helping Your Students Thrive with Our Well-Being Curriculum Every year, students struggle more and more with overcoming normal developmental challenges. From 2003 to 2012, the number of children ages 6-7 diagnosed with anxiety or depression increased by 3%, according to CDC. In 2016, one in six U.S. children ages 2-8 had a diagnosed mental, behavioral,…
How the Engineering Design Process Improves Science Education One of the primary goals of the Next Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) is to integrate the engineering design process (EDP) into science education. According to the National Research Council, the hope is that by raising engineering design to the same level as scientific inquiry, educators will…
5 Tips for Effective Digital Learning for Elementary Teachers When schools closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19, Danny Hulshult, a curriculum coach at Studies Weekly, worried that his 6-year-old daughter, Ella, would fall behind in school. All the research he’d read said that 1st grade was an important time in a child’s development, but…
10 Female Painters Who Shaped Art History Many female painters have made significant contributions to art history. Not only did they create masterpieces, but they pioneered art movements and painting techniques that inspire artists today. Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1652) Italian Baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi was the first female member of the prestigious Accademia de Arte…
8 Famous Female Doctors to Inspire Your Students Women’s History Month is the perfect time to talk about some of the most famous female doctors in US history. Not only did they improve this country’s healthcare, but their determination paved the way for women and minorities to thrive in the medical field. Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910)…
Lab Safety Rules You Should Know [Infographics] How do you guarantee students’ safety while they perform science lab experiments at home or in the classroom? Lab activities give students essential hands-on experience and align with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The best way to keep lab work a part of your school’s science curriculum…
Finding and Sharing Diverse Voices in Children’s Books The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that by 2027, 55% of elementary and secondary students will be minorities. Students of color already total a little more than 50% of school enrollment across the nation. As our student population evolves, our education resources must evolve as well.…
How can educators help students develop their sense of identity? How do we help kids explore who they are? Where do our kids find mirrors of themselves? That is not something we can dictate, but something we can encourage. Teachers who want to promote a positive sense of self must create a safe place for…
New Features Alert: Article Question Reports and More We are excited to announce three new Studies Weekly Online features that will make things easier. These features were inspired by feedback we’ve received from teachers, so we hope these changes improve your user experience. Monitor Article Question Reports from Your Teacher Account Now you can access…
How to Keep Teachers Happy Are your teachers happy? That is a tough question to answer lately. But part of an administrator’s job is looking after teacher well-being, and ensuring teachers are motivated and feel appreciated. These efforts don’t have to be big. Small efforts to improve teachers’ happiness and job satisfaction helps them be…
Promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Through Storytelling “The Spirit of Ubuntu — that profound African sense that we are human only through the humanity of another human being — is not a parochial phenomenon, but has added globally to our common search for a better world.” — Nelson Mandela “Why is storytelling so important to…
Black Scientists Who Made History Celebrating Black History Month is not just for Social Studies. Many Black scientists have contributed to our knowledge of biology, chemistry, and physics. Thanks to their legacy of hard work and perseverance, students today know they can overcome socio-economic challenges and accomplish their dreams. As your school celebrates African Americans…
As a subject, Science can be one of the most equitable topics taught in the elementary classroom. Race, culture, and socio-economic status can affect how prepared a student is to gain literacy or math skills, but phenomena-based instruction that pulls directly from the observable world around students puts all students on equal footing. “Centering science…
“Life is integrated. Why isn’t learning?” —Tom Vander Ark Charlie Perryman, Director of Professional Development with Studies Weekly, posed this question in a recent webinar with curriculum coaches and district personnel. “Can you think of a single job in the world today our students are going to enter, that doesn’t require integrated knowledge and thinking?”…
Sandra Bradshaw, a second-grade teacher in Texas, is in the education field because she wants to positively impact students’ lives. “When students show a true understanding of the concepts being taught and topics being discussed, then I am thrilled for their discoveries and personal connections,” she said in a recent interview. As a child, Bradshaw…
Jen Mello has been an educator for 15 years and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. Her very own elementary teachers as a child were her inspiration. “They made learning fun and made personal connections with myself and my classmates,” she said in a recent interview with Studies Weekly. “I still keep in touch with…
Teaching is hard. Fun. Joyful. Stressful. Exciting. All of the above. That’s why Studies Weekly’s goal is to make curriculum that is enjoyable to use and helps teachers successfully realize learning outcomes. To help you do this, we’ve launched completely new 2020-2021 Professional Development training offerings. These PD programs can be done digitally or face-to-face.…
Education is evolving, and Studies Weekly is matching that change step for step. Educators need a curriculum that strengthens and supports them as they use multiple diverse learning strategies with today’s students. Thus, we are very, very excited to announce our NEW Studies Weekly Social Studies product line. Currently in limited states, it will soon…
Crystal Pilcher loves teaching. In fact, with her degree, she could be earning a significantly higher salary, but she chooses to be a teacher. “I wanted to be a teacher my entire life. As a kid, I used to make my uncles and aunts play school with me,” Pilcher said from Texas in a recent…
Studies Weekly is uniquely suited to be your students’ passport to lifelong success because we’re unlike any other standards-based curriculum out there today. In addition to Studies Weekly Online — a robust interactive platform that works within the classroom and for distance learning — our print publications are fully consumable. What does consumable mean? When…
In some schools, students work with multiple teachers. When learning remotely, there can be some confusion about which assignments go to which teacher. But Studies Weekly Online can help. The tech team at Studies Weekly recently made some upgrades to the student online platform to help students connect with the correct teacher. This situation only…
COVID-19 has uprooted classroom teaching and learning, forcing educators to step into a new role as a remote teacher. As an educator who is supporting their students’ education through distance learning, online learning, printed packets, etc., it’s a new experience — and for some, it is overwhelming. Educators, with their unique in-depth training in pedagogy…
Even though learning is currently remote, we can still celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. This is a great opportunity to incorporate culturally responsive teaching into students’ learning experience. Congress designated May in 1992 as Asian Pacific American Heritage Month — a month to honor the contributions of many Asians and Pacific Islanders. They helped…
In this era of distance learning, teachers all over the nation really do miss the controlled chaos that was their classrooms just months ago. But what do they miss most? Their students. “I used to think it was too loud when 15 6-year-olds would tell me about recess all at the same time. Now it’s…
When will schools open? And what will they look like when they do? As educators juggle online education software, printed packets, and ensuring communication with their current students, many wonder how to plan for the 2020-2021 school year. According to an April 15 EdWeek article, States Face Thorny Issues in Deciding When to Reopen Schools…
Every year, Women’s History Month is a great opportunity to delve even deeper into history and hear from new voices and experiences. As you teach about women’s many contributions to history, here are a few historic women of color whose actions brought about significant change. Women of Strength Lozen Lozen was an Apache warrior active…
September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and we applaud all those educators who celebrate the historic and current contributions of Hispanic people. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the percentage of Hispanic students in elementary and secondary schools across the nation is increasing. In a recent study, between 2000 and 2015, their number increased…
Award-Winning Social Studies Teacher Uses Studies Weekly Cathlina Marston is a fourth grade teacher in Glendora, California. A veteran teacher of 30 years, Marston has been using Studies Weekly in her classroom for the last 15 years. In 2016, Marston won the California Elementary Outstanding Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award! Award Nomination Requirements…