Close Reading the Media / The Grapes of Wrath
by Frank Baker · Published 03/26/2018 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Why do middle school students study The Great Depression? What do we want them to learn and understand about this period in American history? Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers a wealth of teaching ideas tied to the novel The Grapes of Wrath and its film treatment.
Calling on her background as a researcher specializing in authentic math for all students, Ilana Seidel Horn provides detailed explanations of why detached students resist engagement and offers thoughtful responses that teachers in any subject can use, says reviewer Patti Mosko.
You’re entering the final stretch of teaching your 2017-18 students. The school year is more than halfway through, winter vacation breaks are over, and you might be feeling a tinge of burnout. Jenny Grant Rankin shares strategies to help you thrive before summer arrives.
It’s difficult to learn from someone we don’t trust, writes literacy consultant Regie Routman. Bonding with individual students and their families builds that trust. Routman offers 10 ways to make sure that none of our students ever become “mostly silent and unseen.”
Close Reading the Media / Media Literacy & History
by Frank Baker · Published 02/13/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
The tumultuous and difficult year of 1968 is getting lots of media attention during 2018 because it marks the 50th anniversary of so many newsworthy events in America. Media literacy expert Frank Baker says the anniversary focus offers many teaching opportunities.
For many students, grammar is mostly about memorizing rules and having teachers correct their mistakes. Author Sean Ruday’s Bachelor Grammar activity helps them see how authors use grammatical concepts purposefully to make a piece of writing as strong as possible.
Practical teachers concerned with helping kids move forward as readers know that giving them access to engaging texts at their approximate level is an important strategy, says school librarian Rita Platt. Read her arguments for avoiding an either-or approach to leveling.
Self-check classroom and school “real estate” to make sure you’re organized to showcase, celebrate, and convey messages and content that invite all learners to joyfully learn more, writes author Regie Routman. In particular, critically examine your classroom libraries.
How do your students react when you ask them to work together in groups? Cheers or groans? Teacherpreneur and author Patrice Palmer shares strategies to plan ahead and avoid group project pitfalls and to help students see the benefits of working with each other.
Close Reading the Media / Literacy and Film
by Frank Baker · Published 11/28/2017 · Last modified 11/28/2019
Film, video and television media are powerful engagement tools for literacy teachers. Author and media consultant Frank W. Baker shares lots of ideas about using screenplays, closed captioning, and media-related projects to boost reading and other literacy skills.
