Category: Book Reviews

PLNs & School Transformation

Although the authors of Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education favor transformation over more pragmatic ed reforms, reviewer Nicole Miller found this book about PLNs “informative, useful, and beneficial.”

Toward Authentic MS Research

Energize Research Reading and Writing: Fresh Strategies that Spark Interest, Develop Independence, and Meet Key Common Core Standards, Grades 4-8, a book championing the idea that middle grades students should do more authentic research, “comes not a moment too soon,” says ELA teacher Ariel Sacks.

Engaging Readers with Digital Tools

Lee Ann Spillane’s interactive online book Reading Amplified: Digital Tools That Engage Students in Words, Books and Ideas is “a fantastic resource,” says reviewer @dogtrax – perfect for literacy teachers who are ready to explore engaging technologies first-hand.

A Major CCSS Resource

Fully aligned with CCSS, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8 is valuable resource for all 6-8 teachers, says reviewer Linda Biondi. The book offers well-researched, fully developed lesson plans.

Take a Classroom U-Turn

Reviewer Chelsea Leann Collins finds the turn-around strategies in U-Turn Teaching: Strategies to Accelerate Learning and Transform Middle School Achievement work in her seventh grade classroom.

Getting Informational Text into Action

Get It Done by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Michael W. Smith, and James E. Fredricksen is “a treasure trove of helpful insights about why we need to care about the teaching of informational text,” says reviewer & flowchart maker Kevin Hodgson.

The Why & How of Tech Tools

Kevin Hodgson says this ASCD/McREL book by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, and Matt Kuhn, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, offers abundant help for educators to integrate technology with effective & engaging instructional practices.

Becoming a Connected Educator

Reviewer Anne Jolly finds The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach & Lani Ritter Hall is “a detailed description of how to create my own learning community, expand my own connectedness, and involve others in sharing and learning as well.”