Educators may be reluctant to try memoir writing with middle grades students, but the rewards are considerable, says 8th grade teacher-author Jake Wizner. He shares three insights that can help guide teachers as they enrich the student writing experience.
Knowing how television programming is funded can help students understand what is available to view. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker links to sources of advertising data and suggests activities to build student savvy about the genres that fill their screens.
Long-time middle grades teacher Mark Overmeyer brings his techniques for successful student writing conferences – one-on-one, peer, and small-group – to “Let’s Talk.” Drawing on the modeling Overmeyer provides, Tyler McBride plans to launch regular conferences this fall.
A New School Year / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 09/08/2015 · Last modified 11/26/2019
For years Mary Tarashuk engaged her students in a rule-making exercise that felt democratic but produced her desired outcomes. Now her strategy is to help kids think more deeply about respect and have them use their insights to guide the classroom community.
In his ELA classroom, David Sebek focuses on four aspects of what it means to be a “good citizen” – truthfulness, justice, equality and responsibility – and uses whistleblower stories and dystopian fiction to explore the elusive definition of citizenship.
Kevin Hodgson joins two middle level colleagues to share a cross-school collaboration supported by the National Writing Project that engaged teachers in investigating how to use writing strategies and inquiry learning with students in all content areas.
Sarah Tantillo’s MiddleWeb post, Socratic Seminars in the Middle, has racked up tens of thousands of visits. Now Sarah, author of The Literacy Cookbook, is back with a tweak to her recipe, suggested by colleague Jamison Fort. See his students in action.
At Kevin Hodgson’s school, Quidditch is not just a fun game created by its sixth graders 15 years ago. Quidditch is also a path to learning many cross-curricula skills. See how Harry Potter’s magical game becomes part of the real curriculum each Spring.
It remains unclear to Mary Tarashuk how rampant standardized testing is actually helping her fourth graders become successful and enthusiastic learners. As she prepares for her own evaluation, Mary shares pushback from parents, students, and HBO’s John Oliver.
Understanding Race / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 05/06/2015 · Last modified 12/03/2019
When one of Kevin Hodgson’s 6th graders asked about using the “n” word, his class fell silent. In this Working Draft post, he shares the mini-lesson he responded with and also the resources he’s since found to help students build an understanding of racism and the evolution of language.
