Too much close reading is boring, say Mike Fisher & Danielle Hardt, as students comb through fiction, constantly analyzing lots of text. Ask them to read and write digital microstories. They’ll build evaluation & synthesis skills and have some fun.
Thomas Newkirk urges us to consider how, in a test-crazed culture, we can stay focused on what matters for our students. Holding On To Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones is not a literacy ‘how-to’ book, says Jenni Miller, but important nonetheless.
Education consultant Mike Fisher invites readers to be active participants in a Curriculum Brainstorm, using popular music and a song’s associated music video as a way to engage close reading of text, comparative analysis & use of digital tools.
Book Reviews / Mentor Texts / Nonfiction
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/11/2013 · Last modified 11/15/2019
Heard helps teachers consider the potential of mentor texts and the creativity that nonfiction writing skills can encourage, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.
Filmmaker Kesa Kivel worked with middle school students in an after-school YWCA program to produce a short film about the slavery experience in the United States.
The greatest gift we can give our students is the confidence and know-how to teach themselves. Joseph Ball shares a project that does just that.
Amy Benjamin successfully shows content teachers how to focus on reading comprehension with their subject material, says reviewer Anne Anderson.
MS math teacher Kathy Felt makes her case for the Common Core standards and the need for educators to “teach mathematics in deep and engaging ways.”
Integrating curriculum / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 08/18/2013 · Last modified 11/14/2019
In her 4th grade classroom, Mary Tarashuk teaches it all. The index cards that helped her grapple with curriculum in her first years may have a different use today.
Education publishers are sharing new books about professional practice with MiddleWeb, and we’re looking for educators who’d like to select a book & write the review. Get the details here.
