When teachers design classrooms around how students think and engage – not just what they’re expected to know – we unlock a learning environment where curiosity replaces compliance, and excitement replaces dread, writes middle grades educator and NBCT Kathleen Palmieri.
Down Syndrome Out Loud introduces middle graders to people with Down syndrome and to an overview of the condition and its effects. Librarian Steve Tetreault recommends the book join your nonfiction collection to help students gain perspective or see themselves reflected.
Fall is Kasey Short’s favorite time to update her classroom library and create a list of new MG and YA books for our visitors to consider. This year’s choices explore themes that resonate with adolescent readers, including new series titles and books with diverse perspectives.
Two books from Jason McIntosh – one centering on PBL quests and the other on paleontology investigations – offer advanced students learning challenges not often found in middle grades books, writes Kim Rensch. The books include lesson plans – and a short novel by McIntosh!
The Co-Teaching Power Zone offers educators a framework to navigate the complexities of co-teaching. Throughout the book, author Elizabeth Stein’s emphasis is on building effective, harmonious partnerships that enhance student learning, writes teacher Melinda Stewart.
As schools navigate an ever-changing landscape, instructional coaches are increasingly in demand to help teachers not only refine their craft but also weather complex circumstances. Specialist Miriam Plotinsky shares strategies to help coaches develop empathy and adaptability.
Jennifer Throndsen pinpoints frontloading as an effective strategy that supports multilingual learners in both their content studies and language development. Learn how preteaching key vocabulary, background knowledge and core concepts scaffolds learning and accelerates progress.
Karin Hess’s new book exploring cognitive rigor and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge framework provides clarity and practical tools for teachers seeking to design learning experiences that truly deepen understanding. A resource for review, reflection, and refinement of practice, says Kathleen Palmieri.
You’re a Teacher Now: What’s Next? is an easy read that shares a wide range of proven practices for new teachers (and veterans) in an organized and honest way. A “definite recommendation,” says teaching professor Michelle Schwartze, who also likes the free online reproducibles.
Writing short form stories is all about revising and playing with your ideas, Kim Culbertson told the sixth graders. “Move things around. Cross things out and add others. See where the exploration of it takes you. The most important part is that you’re finding your own voice.”
