Author: MiddleWeb

Evaluating Assessment

Assessing 21st Century Skills: A Guide to Evaluating Mastery and Authentic Learning is a must-have guide for any educator wishing to assess students beyond the knowledge-based level, says reviewer Cindy Musselwhite.

Young, Gifted & Accelerated

College @13: Young, gifted, and purposeful, the story of 14 extremely gifted teenage girls who enter a Virginia early college program, is a valuable read for teachers, parents & other gifted teens, says reviewer Linda Rummell.

Getting Past the Textbook

Overcoming Textbook Fatigue: 21st Century Tools to Revitalize Teaching and Learning benefits teachers who feel an urgency to abandon textbook dependency and create more relevant and engaging lessons, says reviewer Susan Shaver.

Literacy Strategies that Work

Randy Bomer’s passion for literacy for all students is evident throughout Building Adolescent Literacy in Today‘s English Classroom. Reviewer Linda Biondi suggests close reading of this research & experience based book.

Better Teaching through Practice

Many teachers do not see skills development as an ongoing part of their job. Doug Lemov’s book, Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better, offers a framework for better teaching through deliberate practice, says reviewer Renee Masterson.

6 Tips to Boost Learning on Class Field Trips

Teacher educator Amanda Wall describes how she’s blended specific learning activities into class field trips and shares 6 tips to help teachers plan. “It’s certainly true that planning field trips can be challenging, detail-intensive and time-consuming,” she says, “but there is always a reward in student learning.”

Language Arts Fireworks!

In an era when imaginative exploration of language is missing from many ELA classrooms, Ralph Fletcher’s wonderful book, Pyrotechnics on the Page: Playful Craft that Sparks Writing, celebrates playful writing, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.