Tagged: assessment

Visible Learning Tools to Teach Literacy Effectively

Sixth grade ELA and social studies teacher Kathee Lamberies expects she will be using Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom from Fisher, Frey, Hattie and Thayre and tabbing its pages for years to come. It is likely to become her new “bible” of teaching!

Teaching Tips: Don’t Forget 7 Grading Essentials

Some aspects of grading, such as whether to grade homework, are individual choices for a teacher. But never lose sight, says expert Barbara Blackburn, of seven essential practices that determine whether grading will be fair and meaningful – or ultimately pointless.

Jim Burke’s Companion to the Literacy Standards

Full to the brim with useful information, master teacher Jim Burke’s book is a must-have for teachers who are looking for ways to unpack their literacy standards and find deeper meaning. Erin Corrigan-Smith says it’s also ideal for those who want quick access to the essentials.

10 Easy Class Hacks Boost PBL and Inquiry

Hacking Project Based Learning is a rich resource for teachers and administrators who want to begin implementing project-oriented inquiry learning, says PBL teacher Sandy Wisneski. She appreciates the strong emphasis on student ownership in each of the book’s 10 hacks.

Active Strategies for Inclusive Classrooms

In the 2nd edition of Joyful Learning, Alice Udvari-Solner and Paula Kluth provide a great resource to promote teacher collaboration and move inclusion classrooms beyond the superficial and toward more meaningful engagement of every student, says Erin Corrigan-Smith.

ELA & SS: Differentiating Formative Assessment

Sheryn Spencer Waterman shows the way to make the evaluation as well as the curriculum fit the learner. Middle school teacher Joanne Bell finds the author’s fully developed discussion of differentiated formative assessments helpful for social studies and English.

How to Differentiate Rigor and Assessment

The refreshingly clear way that Barbara Blackburn collects and presents best practices in her book on rigor and assessment should help teachers become more effective at providing well differentiated instruction in a positive classroom environment, writes Roy Palmer.

Energizing Ideas for a Flexible ELA Classroom

Ariel Sacks says teachers who read The Flexible ELA Classroom will get to know “an enthusiastic, skilled teacher” effectively applying “many of the best current teaching trends.” Amber Chandler’s practical, student centered ideas include flexible differentiation, PBL infusion, family involvement and more.

Grading That’s Fair, Specific and Timely

In FAST Grading, says veteran science/math teacher Joyce Depenbusch, Douglas Reeves has reached his goal of inspiring teachers and administrators to rethink grading and use his FAST strategies (Fair, Accurate, Specific, Timely) to optimize student learning.

Narrative Writing Ideas Built on Mentor Texts

Sean Ruday’s practical ideas and teaching strategies for narrative writing should reduce the stress levels of writing teachers all across the country, writes consultant Anne Anderson. To speed things along, he has included excerpts from the mentor texts he features.