Author: MiddleWeb

Powerful Iconic Images Can Educate & Inform

Iconic images from popular culture can raise consciousness about issues, many of them tied to health and gender awareness, writes media literacy consultant Frank W. Baker. He offers memorable examples and ties this phenomenon to teaching visual literacy.

Mathematical Fiction: A Novel Look at Numbers

Children’s writer and systems engineer Robert Black, who is finishing his third mathematical novel for middle schoolers, describes the challenges of making math stories engaging and offers tips for students and teachers interested in the new fiction genre.

Teachers Really Need to Work with Families

Relationships are built when children know that caring adults are on their side. If teachers team up with parents and families, they can help create success for even the most difficult students. Amber Chandler shares the strategies that work in her MS classroom.

A Good Learning Model for New Teachers to Use

Author and literacy consultant Regie Routman is a passionate cook who loves to make fresh fruit tarts. Here she draws connections between learning to bake and learning to teach, using her Optimal Learning Model as a framework. Fruit tart recipe included!

Making Our Classrooms More Playful and Fun

School technology coach Josh Burker offers eight reasons why classroom making is not only playful and fun but also an effective strategy to build organizational, problem-solving and leadership skills. Included: A MaKey MaKey musical instruments project.

Make the Shift to 1:1 Teaching & Learning

In Power Up, Diana Neebe and Jen Roberts offer a 1:1 teaching framework that will guide teachers from the implementation process to a technology-rich learning environment. The online companion PD resources are extensive, says reviewer Sandy Wisneski.

Serravallo’s Reading Strategies Earn a Rave Review

Jennifer Serravallo’s new book on reading strategies was worth the wait, says Linda Biondi. It offers “adaptable, research based lessons targeting student’s skills, adaptable to different levels of students and texts, as well as different reading programs.”

Sarah Tweaks Her Socratic Seminar Recipe

Sarah Tantillo’s MiddleWeb post, Socratic Seminars in the Middle, has racked up tens of thousands of visits. Now Sarah, author of The Literacy Cookbook, is back with a tweak to her recipe, suggested by colleague Jamison Fort. See his students in action.

Tools to Bring the World to Your Classroom

Homa Sabet Tavangar and Becky Mladic-Morales have created the ideal global education toolkit for any teacher, K-12, to bring the world into their classroom. The resource packed book is well written and easy to navigate, says 5th grade teacher Jennifer Druffel.