Nearly 20 years ago Jennifer Smith began having her fifth grade social studies students track hurricanes as part of their geography unit. Middle grades kids are excited to learn material that impacts their daily lives and spurs a sense of service and empathy for victims.
Words are a low-risk point from which to launch Students with Interrupted Formal Education on their schooling journey. One of the best ways to teach words is with the Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM), a multi-step process to teach vocabulary. Tan Huynh shows how.
If you’re interested in doing some professional learning at home in addition to the on-the-fly learning that comes with reorganizing your classes so they are distance-friendly, take a look at Principal and NBCT Rita Platt’s collection of online and web-free PD resources.
What can we do to encourage kids to choose nonfiction more frequently for personal enjoyment? Cate Gerard and Sunday Cummins share what Cate discovered when interviewing middle graders about their reading habits and recommend class and virtual strategies and resources.
To be the education leaders our society needs, operational expertise and pedagogical know-how are necessary but not enough, says author and mentor principal Toni Faddis. It’s by walking our ethical line and adhering to core values that we’ll achieve our school missions.
Assessing ELs / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 10/27/2019 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Teachers need to learn what our students know and understand, but assessment can be difficult if language is a barrier for English learners. EL specialist Valentina Gonzalez offers tips to recognize unconscious bias, support learning with formative assessment, and more.
Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker have added to their series of books on school culture with this practical, readable and well-researched work that speaks of the commitment to creating and sustaining a positive learning environment, writes school leader Jack Ferrante.
Follow along as Nicki Newton and Janet Nuzzie join educators in “mathematizing” their Texas district – developing math lovers and a common math language at the district, staff, campus, classroom and student level. Middle school teacher Dena Hause found lots of resources!
Close Reading the Media / Visual Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 05/15/2019 · Last modified 11/25/2019
It’s not a simple matter to separate photojournalism from visual propaganda intended to sway emotions and opinions. Drawing in part on iconic images from Dorothea Lange’s career, expert Frank Baker explores the question and shares SEL and media literacy lesson resources.
Close Reading the Media / Political Optics
by Frank Baker · Published 04/10/2019 · Last modified 04/16/2019
As the presidential race heats up, stagecraft and poli-optics will be an important part of everything we see and hear, writes media literacy expert Frank Baker. Here’s how we can help students pull back the curtain on techniques used by professional image manipulators.
