Too much close reading is boring, say Mike Fisher & Danielle Hardt, as students comb through fiction, constantly analyzing lots of text. Ask them to read and write digital microstories. They’ll build evaluation & synthesis skills and have some fun.
Thomas Newkirk urges us to consider how, in a test-crazed culture, we can stay focused on what matters for our students. Holding On To Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones is not a literacy ‘how-to’ book, says Jenni Miller, but important nonetheless.
In To Look Closely: Science and Literacy in the Natural World, Laurie Rubin draws you into her students’ excitement as they explore sun-lit spaces outside their classroom and participate in scientific observation, journaling, poetry and discussion.
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.
For teachers who have not used Singapore math strategies before but want to give them a go, Jana Hazecamp’s book Why Before How is a great place to start, says former 4th grade math teacher Jennifer Underwood, who adds some tech ideas of her own.
Bringing iPads and apps into your classes? Having author Lori Elliott along is like having a technology mentor in the room, says Laura Von Staden.
Book Reviews / Tablets in the Classroom
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/15/2013 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Teaching with Tablets, says reviewer Joy Kirr, is a brief, useful guide from Frey, Fisher & Gonzalez describing how to leverage the increasing availability of tablets and iPads by tying their use to best instructional practices.
Magazines about popular culture are an effective tool to teach media literacy and “a host of Common Core standards,” says expert Frank W. Baker.
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.
