Kids on the Cusp / Summer Activities
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 08/20/2014 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Mary Tarashuk shares gems from her history curriculum treasure hunt, all discovered while surfing on the Web during her beach vacation. Her online pirate crew added to her store of resources for the year ahead and helped her strengthen her internet sea legs.
Shirley McPhillips’ Poem Central invites students to move through poetry that we might not know exactly how to teach and to live with those words on their own terms – not needing us to facilitate all meaning and experience for them, says Jenni Miller.
Movies and television are recognized in the Common Core standards as forms of “text” that deserve serious study. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker suggests ways that the Emmy Awards might serve as a way to engage students around familiar media.
Book Reviews / Gradual Release of Responsibility
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/16/2014 · Last modified 12/10/2019
In the 2nd edition of Better Learning Through Structured Teaching, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey use specific classroom examples and deep knowledge in the field to explain how students can become independent learners. Sarah Cooper says read it now!
When students are challenged to “close read” a movie, they must not only learn how to deconstruct the story, they must also understand the many techniques that are used by filmmakers to create the total effect, says expert Frank Baker.
After lots of looking reviewer Judi Holst has found just the book she needs to learn how to flip effectively in her English classes. She highly recommends Troy Cockrum’s new book for its easy-to-follow steps and adaptable lesson plans.
David Booth’s Caught in the Middle is one of those rare books that truly has the capacity to help a teacher carve out a roadmap for a successful year of working with middle school readers and writers, says reviewer Jenni Miller.
A week of sitting in a teaching seminar has left Sarah Cooper inspired but also thoughtful about how students experience daily classroom life. “I felt new empathy for having to follow teachers’ instructions all day long.” Read her 10 takeaways.
Advertising: it’s everywhere. As media literacy educators work to engage students in conversations about commercial marketing, we have to consider the close reading of print and video ads. Frank Baker provides starting points and resources for teachers.
While most students understand how to operate smart phones, they understand far less about what they see on their digital devices. Learning visual literacy in school is a vital skill today, says Frank W. Baker.
