Book Reviews / Teaching Research Skills
by MiddleWeb · Published 12/31/2012 · Last modified 11/14/2019
Energize Research Reading and Writing: Fresh Strategies that Spark Interest, Develop Independence, and Meet Key Common Core Standards, Grades 4-8, a book championing the idea that middle grades students should do more authentic research, “comes not a moment too soon,” says ELA teacher Ariel Sacks.
Here are a few of our favorite MiddleWeb posts from 2012. Our thanks to the educators who have contributed articles, MW blogs, interviews, & book reviews!
STEM By Design / Teacher Preparation
by Anne Jolly · Published 12/16/2012 · Last modified 10/27/2021
Providing STEM students with real-world problems fuels their curiosity & investigative interests. But where do teachers find problems worthy of investigation?
Co-Teaching Teams / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 12/16/2012 · Last modified 11/24/2019
There’s another elephant in the co-teaching hallway, writes MiddleWeb blogger Elizabeth Stein. Teacher teams are only as strong as their weakest link.
Fully aligned with CCSS, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8 is valuable resource for all 6-8 teachers, says reviewer Linda Biondi. The book offers well-researched, fully developed lesson plans.
Common Planning Time / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 12/02/2012 · Last modified 12/04/2019
If the search for a perfect co-planning relationship frustrates you, Elizabeth Stein shares 4 “simple mindshifts” that have made her a fearless co-teacher anyway.
Reviewer Anne Jolly finds The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach & Lani Ritter Hall is “a detailed description of how to create my own learning community, expand my own connectedness, and involve others in sharing and learning as well.”
In Everyday Engagement: Making Students and Parents Your Partners in Learning author Katy Ridnouer has good ideas that can help teachers become better at partnering with parents to advance student learning, says reviewer Nicole Warchol.
Don’t let the Process Learning Circles in “Strengthening and Enriching Your Professional Learning Community: The Art of Learning Together” scare you: no hand-holding & singing, says reviewer Becky Osterfeld. These circles can put relevant, practical PD back in teachers’ hands.
Compare & Contrast: Teaching Comparative Thinking to Strengthen Student Learning, one of a series of books intended for study by professional learning “clubs,” explores a basic strategy of good teaching effectively, says reviewer & NBCT Joni Allison.
