Examining the Evidence explains seven strategies to engage with primary sources, all easily understood by students. Aligned to specific Common Core standards, the strategies are useful in K-8 classrooms beyond social studies, says reviewer Nicole Miller.
The best way to help students learn to appreciate grammar, say authors Lynne Dorfman & Diane Dougherty, is by teaching it seamlessly within the workshop model. The Writing Project veterans share secrets for sustaining a writers community in your classroom.
The Co-Teaching Relationship / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 12/08/2014 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Have you ever been told that teachers in co-taught classrooms shouldn’t be distinguishable? Special educator Elizabeth Stein never felt comfortable with that concept, and a recent workshop with co-teaching expert Marilyn Friend helped her understand why.
Today’s students have never known a time when computers didn’t exist. Many are surrounded by digital options in school as well as at home. But teacher Cheryl Mizerny has noticed her 6th graders are often drawn to low-tech learning experiences. She looks at why that might be.
STEM curriculum expert Anne Jolly sees considerable potential for connecting sports to a variety of engineering challenges and attracting otherwise disengaged students to STEM programs. She shares a range of good resource sites, from NASA’s STEM Mania to the SF 49er STEM Zone.
Exploring History / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 12/04/2014 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Teaching students to “think like historians” begins with making connections between past and present, says teacher Mary Tarashuk. As her 4th graders begin the Age of Exploration, she calls on a Tai Chi parent-expert to help bridge ancient and modern times.
As a collection of primary sources, My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook 1941 is truly a treasure trove, ranging from telegrams to WW II images. Reviewer Jody Passanisi, while noting its dense design and limited personal narration, recommends the book for all ages.
Rikki Tikki Tavi is the “touchstone text” Kevin Hodgson introduces to his 6th graders at school’s start. Kipling’s fast pace, focused conflict and resolution, use of foreshadowing and other literary techniques make it a perfect reference all year long.
Sarah Tantillo offers more sage advice on how to write lesson objectives that get students’ brains racing. In this post, the literacy consultant explains why objectives must always have a compelling purpose – offering two stories from her own classroom observations.
Narrative writing and figurative language are not just for English class anymore, says teacher-author Heather Wolpert-Gawron. “Narrative strategies infuse content with creativity and with an added layer of student personality that aids in ownership.” She shares a science example.
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