From Struggling to Soaring: 6 Classroom Activities That Help Struggling Students Reach Extraordinary Heights

Every class has them: the pupils at the back who rarely raise their hands, whose books come back covered in red ink, and who slowly start to believe they are "slow" or "not clever".

They are not. Most struggling students are behind, bored, afraid of being laughed at, or have never been shown a way in.

From Struggling to Soaring gives you six simple, proven activities that change that. None of them needs computers or a small class. They work in real classrooms, including classes of 60 to 80 pupils with one blackboard.

Inside you'll find:

• Activity 1: Swap competition for cooperation. Build a team mindset where the whole class rises together.
• Activity 2: Pull, don't push. The "question ladder" that draws out what students already know.
• Activity 3: Turn lessons into games. Seven no-cost game formats, from expedition planning to market day.
• Activity 4: Test as you teach, and praise every attempt. Quick checks plus 20 phrases that turn mistakes into learning.
• Activity 5: Learn together in pairs and groups. Think-Pair-Share, group roles, jigsaw tasks and peer marking.
• Activity 6: The Ben Carson reading habit. How two library books a week took a struggling boy to world-famous neurosurgeon, and how to run the same method in your class or home.
• A 4-week plan to bring it all together.
• Working with parents, including 10 things parents can do at home.
• 10 printable tools: class progress chart, question ladder planner, game lesson planner, exit tickets, praise phrases, group role cards, reading log, book report, student progress tracker and teacher reflection.

Who it's for: primary and secondary teachers, parents and guardians, private tutors, head teachers and education programmes.

Format: PDF (27 illustrated A4 pages) plus an editable Word (.docx) version so you can adapt the worksheets. Also available in Swahili: Kutoka Kusuasua Hadi Kupaa.

Written by Wellbiz Solutions, Tanzania: where natural science meets practical wisdom.