Professional community / Working Draft
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/13/2014 · Last modified 11/19/2019
Kevin Hodgson joined teacher playmates this summer for a wide-ranging exploration of making and connected learning that, while professional in purpose, reminded participants “of the nature of childhood inquisitiveness and the power of play.”
When students are challenged to “close read” a movie, they must not only learn how to deconstruct the story, they must also understand the many techniques that are used by filmmakers to create the total effect, says expert Frank Baker.
“I’ve been accumulating guiding principles for creating highly motivating homework assignments for many years,” writes expert Rick Wormeli. “Here are a baker’s dozen. Choose the ones most appropriate for students’ learning goals and your curriculum.”
After lots of looking reviewer Judi Holst has found just the book she needs to learn how to flip effectively in her English classes. She highly recommends Troy Cockrum’s new book for its easy-to-follow steps and adaptable lesson plans.
David Booth’s Caught in the Middle is one of those rare books that truly has the capacity to help a teacher carve out a roadmap for a successful year of working with middle school readers and writers, says reviewer Jenni Miller.
New to the STEM classroom? Returning for another year of STEM when fall arrives? Either way, summer is the ideal time to wrap your head around what you’ll be doing. Try some of Anne Jolly’s suggestions for what you can do in July!
Bringing online conversations around books into the schoolhouse can prepare our students for what reading looks like today and tomorrow, says K-5 principal Matt Renwick. He highlights the development of his school’s first student digital book club.
Teaching children how to meaningfully participate in math conversations can be daunting, say educators Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz. The authors of Intentional Talk share four principles to help teachers lead deeper, more productive discussions.
It’s hard to put down Readers Front & Center: Helping All Students Engage with Complex Texts, says our reviewer. Dorothy Barnhouse shows teachers how to focus on the reader, not the text, by using conferencing, questioning & other student-centered strategies.
Book Reviews / Vocabulary Instruction
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/01/2014 · Last modified 12/05/2019
While introducing vocabulary takes only a few minutes, true comprehension requires time. What’s a teacher to do? Reviewer Beth Morrow suggests picking up a copy of Marilee Sprenger’s Vocab Rehab for a succinct guide to research based activities.
