Preparing for Next Year / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 04/23/2019 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Take time now to do some preliminary thinking about next year’s STEM lessons. Gather feedback from your students before they sign out for summer, suggests STEM expert Anne Jolly, and also consider four key areas that often get short shrift during STEM curriculum planning.
Create Compose Connect / Media Literacy
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 04/21/2019 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Our students are native digital readers, but they aren’t necessarily logged into their Kindle accounts. Helping middle schoolers become lifelong readers of credible news and information requires proactive strategies. Teacher Jeremy Hyler describes three of his favorites.
Building on case studies of 11 gifted students in special populations, the authors provide resources to help all educators understand how to best serve gifted students who also have other special needs. Reviewer Pamela Shaw is a parent of two twice-exceptional kids.
Create Compose Connect / Digital Writing Portfolios
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 03/06/2019 · Last modified 12/05/2019
Although many of his colleagues disagree, middle school teacher Jeremy Hyler is convinced digital portfolios are the best way to measure student growth in writing skills over the whole school year. Learn why he thinks so, and how he does it, with plenty of useful tips.
Every teacher who works with students as readers should read Jennifer Serravallo’s new book, Understanding Texts & Readers, writes NCBT and principal Rita Platt, noting it brings big-picture reading goals, skills, strategies and texts together in a meaningful hierarchy.
Write Think Learn is an easy read for busy educators, challenges teachers and students to examine their attitudes about writing, gives readers a purpose and a desire to write, and will be a go-to reference throughout the school year, says teacher educator Linda Biondi.
Book Reviews / Project Based Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 01/24/2019 · Last modified 11/19/2019
Whether you are an experienced educator with several PBL projects under your belt, someone interested in starting small, or a school leader working to provide resources, Boss and Larmer offer insight, tools, and resources to guide you, writes educator Jeny Randall.
Facilitating science-based research around real world problems empowers students through the skills they acquire and the subject knowledge they gain, says teacher Angela Duke. And what better topic than climate change? “The environment of the future will be theirs to live in.”
Collaborative talk is imperative to sense-making in science as students investigate complex concepts, think deeply about their discoveries, and then build the explanations that provide evidence of their understanding. Science coach Kathy Renfrew shares the why and how.
Close Reading the Media / Critical Thinking
by Frank Baker · Published 10/24/2018 · Last modified 11/28/2019
The rise in fake news calls attention to the lack of critical thinking by many of today’s readers, including students. Media literacy expert Frank Baker shares an essential teaching tool and other resources for ELA and social studies teachers ready to address the issue.
