To better understand what readers are thinking, Gravity Goldberg and Renée Houser urge teachers to reflect on current conferring questions, collaborate with colleagues on deeper questions that align with goals, and allow their teacher curiosity to help guide the conference.
Academic conversations create lifelong learners who believe they have a voice in the conversation of ideas. Jeff Zwiers’ book provides novel and effective means to equip teachers with the tools to promote academic conversations, writes instruction director Kelley Pujol.
After detailing the processes and skills needed for math, the authors discuss how the Student Enrichment Model may be implemented in a wide variety of environments, writes educator Michael Hernandez. New to SEM, he finds lots to use in his math and algebra classes.
Infusing more writing into science, math and social studies doesn’t have to be difficult – or require content teachers to grade like English class. MS science/ELA teacher Jeremy Hyler describes his Science Notebooks, used in a variety of ways with students year-round.
This term Mary Tarashuk’s 4th graders will be ranging through time and cultures to expand their grasp of what the world is like beyond their suburban lives. She intends to help her future citizens, and herself, become more historically, racially, and culturally literate.
Although we have always known the importance of teaching vocabulary, there’s been a recent surge of interest in teaching academic vocabulary across the content areas. Author Barbara Blackburn describes three strategies she recommends to help make the new words stick.
Do your students know how much you care? Especially those students who have built a wall or may face difficult situations at home? How can you connect? Principal Liz Garden found sticky notepads, a favorite book and regular one-to-one time can make all the difference.
Reading NBCT Roxanna Elden’s novel chronicling the trials and tribulations of educators at fictional Brae Hill Valley HS made Rita Platt laugh. A lot. While Elden reveals the often “dark heart” of reform, she also captures the small everyday successes that keep us going.
Every chapter of School Improvement for All starts with commentary about how to determine vision versus reality, outlines ways to get from one to the other, and then provides concrete tools and steps to follow as a plan of action, writes NBCT Kathy Pham. A true guide to PLC success.
Maverick Teachers highlights nontraditional teachers who are comfortable with change, and some of their outside-the-box methods of teaching. Though the teacher portraits are inspiring, math educator Abby Bateman finds the book lacks how-tos and evidence of school-saving results.
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