Homework can be one of the most renewing and exciting aspects of teaching middle school, says teaching expert Rick Wormeli, but we have to be smart about its structure, assignment, and assessment. Included: Ideas to make homework more engaging.
Advertising: it’s everywhere. As media literacy educators work to engage students in conversations about commercial marketing, we have to consider the close reading of print and video ads. Frank Baker provides starting points and resources for teachers.
As arts education budgets shrink, K-8 educators will appreciate The Arts Go to School, says reviewer Jennifer Jankowski. Authors David Booth and Masayuki Hachiya offer creative ideas for incorporating arts into the daily curriculum across many subjects.
Embracing Technology / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 07/16/2014 · Last modified 11/16/2019
This summer middle grades teacher Mary Tarashuk is diving into the deep end of the technology pool, accepting a challenging online leadership role. Yet she’s determined to protect the beach time she needs for family and reflection on the school year ahead.
The Nonfiction NOW Lesson Bank (Grades 4-8): Strategies and Routines for Higher-Level Comprehension in the Content Areas by Nancy Akhavan delivers everything the title promises and more, raves reviewer Linda Biondi. Plus 50 lessons and 5 close reading ideas, ready to use.
New to the STEM classroom? Returning for another year of STEM when fall arrives? Either way, summer is the ideal time to wrap your head around what you’ll be doing. Try some of Anne Jolly’s suggestions for what you can do in July!
The Teaching Life / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 07/08/2014 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Professional growth & student engagement should be “a central daily goal of every teacher in every classroom,” writes our blogger Kevin Hodgson. He points to THRIVE, a new book by teacher leader Meenoo Rami, as a source of guidance and inspiration.
In this helpful how-to article Judith Wencel, founder of SUCCESS in the Middle, distills 20 years of experience effectively recruiting and preparing community tutors and mentors – dispelling the myth that “nobody will volunteer in middle schools.”
During the ISTE 2014 Conference in Atlanta GA, we posted a sampler of tech-oriented MiddleWeb articles, blog posts and reviews that we believe might add a little something to your digital toolbox. Passionate learning? Connected students? We got it!
Rave notices continue for principal Eric Sheninger’s book on transformational Digital Leadership. Our reviewer Kristen Peterson appreciates the stories he shares of other leaders who have made the digital transition, as well as the practical advice.
