Students in the middle grades think in polarities and will go to great lengths to avoid embarrassment, writes author and school counselor Phyllis Fagell. But with the right supports, they can learn to take risks – asking questions, joining discussions and learning more.
Reviewer Kathleen Palmieri says her 5th graders are already having race conversations socially. The guidance in We’re Gonna Keep On Talking can help elementary teachers build community and help students discuss race as it has affected life and culture in the past and today.
Thomas Newkirk urges ELA educators to move beyond simply assigning formulaic writing grounded in rubrics and include more fiction writing. Using research as well as student and teacher voices, he shows the benefits of encouraging creativity. A call to action, says Katie Durkin.
Mona Iehl’s Word Problem Workshop lesson plan helped her realize that teaching math was just like teaching everything else. You have to allow students to bring themselves to the work – letting them use what they know and are able to do to figure things out. Then you step in.
Articles / Back to School / Technology
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/14/2023 · Last modified 08/15/2023
Kathie Palmieri shows how the ChatGPT tool can help launch the new school year with content activities, introductory letters, and more. She also includes tips for using generative AI software to batch-plan lessons for a quarter, trimester, or even designing a year-long plan.
If you’re looking for a book to guide your community of educators in collaborative reflections on math practice, Nicora Placa’s book will give you the tools. The practices will jump off the page with ready-to-use protocols and debrief questions, writes math educator Mona Iehl.
Katelyn Oellerich’s well-researched 9-week program for school-based mental health professionals can also benefit all educators with its CBT and mindfulness case studies, definitions, methods and strategies to help manage student anxiety, writes NBCT Kathleen Palmieri.
We’ve had so many good reviews of insightful and helpful books during the past 12 months. Here are 20 frequently clicked examples, all written by our pool of educator volunteers across a range of topics, that MiddleWeb visitors found informative and often illuminating.
The Essential Blended Learning PD Planner is written for leaders who seek to implement a building-wide blended learning program. Teacher leader Chris Call gives high marks to the book’s blueprint for incorporating teachers and other stakeholders into large-scale PD planning.
As math coaches and other instructional leaders begin to think about the upcoming school year, they may want to consider Nicora Placa’s teacher team-building activity. It sets the foundation for a successful year of learning collaboratively and improving student group work.
