“Close Reading in Elementary School,” by Betsy and Diana Sisson, offers upper elementary teachers a framework for creating lessons; ways to link close reading, writing and talking; a model for gauging text complexity, and a reasonable approach to rigor, says reviewer and 4th grade teacher Linda Biondi.
Shirley McPhillips’ Poem Central invites students to move through poetry that we might not know exactly how to teach and to live with those words on their own terms – not needing us to facilitate all meaning and experience for them, says Jenni Miller.
What happens, wonders teacher & technology coach Emily Vickery, when schools rethink the use of space – “shifting from traditional approaches to an emphasis on participatory spaces that take advantage of learning research and digital technologies?”
Teachers, coaches, administrators, and teacher educators will want to keep Nancy Boyles’ Closer Reading Grades 3-6 nearby, says reviewer Linda Biondi, because it shows “how to teach the art of close reading” from start to finish across content areas.
When students are challenged to “close read” a movie, they must not only learn how to deconstruct the story, they must also understand the many techniques that are used by filmmakers to create the total effect, says expert Frank Baker.
Sarah Tantillo has taken her 2012 book, The Literacy Cookbook, to the next level, adding flavor-enhancing Common Core ingredients to the mix. Reviewer Linda Biondi reports Literacy and the Common Core: Recipes for Action “deserves a five star rating.”
Editors from The Center for Courage & Renewal introduce four short essays from a new book, Teaching with Heart, each written by an educator who reflects on an inspirational poem. Re-energize yourself as you begin to prepare for the new school year!
Teaching experts Annette Breaux & Todd Whitaker are back with more teaching ideas from the 2nd edition of Seven Simple Secrets. This time it’s advice on keeping instruction real for today’s students. Read the classroom tales of Teacher A & Teacher B.
David Booth’s Caught in the Middle is one of those rare books that truly has the capacity to help a teacher carve out a roadmap for a successful year of working with middle school readers and writers, says reviewer Jenni Miller.
William H. Robertson channels his unique perspective and experiences as a skateboarder and educator into a well-written, informative, and enjoyable read in Action Science: Relevant Teaching and Active Learning, says reviewer Hallie Askuvich.
