Kevin Hodgson joins two middle level colleagues to share a cross-school collaboration supported by the National Writing Project that engaged teachers in investigating how to use writing strategies and inquiry learning with students in all content areas.
Common Core / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 11/10/2014 · Last modified 11/29/2019
Elizabeth Stein’s five-step checklist for teachers can help students who learn differently achieve their personal best in today’s Common Core classrooms. Accommodations should bridge gaps and remove barriers but preserve as much independence as possible.
Even though the tragedy in Ferguson is fading from the headlines and our twitter feeds, the issues and social dynamics that led to it remain firmly in place and schools need to address them, says middle school dean Bill Ivey. He suggests an “incredible resource.”
Students with learning disabilities can meet high expectations and thrive in Common Core classrooms with the right teacher supports, say “rigor” experts Barbara Blackburn and Bradley Witzel. They recommend several proven scaffolding strategies.
Many teachers are frustrated by Common Core directions to ignore prior knowledge when teaching students to analyze texts, says literacy coach Laura Robb. She recommends a proactive approach: show students how to do it for themselves. Tips included!
Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/02/2013 · Last modified 11/06/2020
Eighth graders present a video and describe the creation of their “I AM Wall” – part of a project on stereotyping that included reading S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders.
Closing the Achievement Gap / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/03/2013 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Elizabeth Stein & assistant principal Paul McNeil consider personal, classroom, and school strategies that can help close achievement gaps for students with disabilities, including peer tutoring and support for high expectations. It takes a team approach, and it takes time and patience.
The Co-Teaching Relationship / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 02/25/2013 · Last modified 11/26/2019
In an interview with Elizabeth Stein, co-teaching pioneer Anne Beninghof says inclusion classrooms should be exemplary models of differentiated instruction.
Cindi Rigsbee & Laurie Wasserman each reviewed Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers, a middle school teaching guide. The two teachers drew the same conclusion: funny & full of great ideas.
