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.
Students with learning disabilities can meet high expectations and thrive in Common Core classrooms with the right teacher supports, say “rigor” experts Barbara Blackburn and Bradley Witzel. They recommend several proven scaffolding strategies.
Book Reviews / Professional Development
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/29/2013 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Reviewer Sr. Geralyn Schmidt say Elisa MacDonald’s The Skillful Team Leader is a powerful resource through which we can actually understand how, with insightful leadership, teams can overcome barriers to collaboration and change the entire school learning environment for the better.
Articles / Teaching Vocabulary / Vocabulary
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/03/2013 · Last modified 01/26/2020
ELA teacher & former llama wrangler Lee Ann Spillane details how she teaches content-related vocabulary using several versatile digital tools.
Book Reviews / Common Core State Standards / ELA & Literacy / Personal Learning Networks
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/01/2013 · Last modified 11/15/2019
Even educators who don’t work in successful PLC environments will appreciate Fisher & Frey’s strategies to build students’ CCSS ELA proficiencies, says Joy Kirr.
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.
Marilyn Pryle’s book provides all the tools for successful Writing Workshops, says reviewer Nicole Melody, including ideas about finding time for conferencing.
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.”
