Career & Technical Education / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 02/15/2015 · Last modified 12/12/2019
Anne Jolly takes a closer look at the relationship between STEM and Career and Technical Education. She’s impressed by the spread of middle school CTE programs and highlights the academic, technological and social goals and methods that STEM and CTE share.
In Advanced Common Core Math Explorations: Numbers & Operations, Jerry Burkhart offers advanced students challenging activities with increasing levels of difficulty. Math teacher Maia Fastabend finds it well suited to high level readers in grades 7-9.
Ready for fresh math bellringers? Reviewer Lynne Menechella highly recommends Math Lesson Starters for the Common Core. Arranged by CCSS-M domains, the compact book “does a wonderful job of providing ready-to-use problems that work as formative assessment.”
The curriculum tug of war between proponents of STEM programs and those who advocate for STEAM is in full force. Whichever side you may be pulling for, Anne Jolly has some facts, insights and questions that can help determine which way we should go.
Future of History / Understanding Data
by Aaron Brock · Published 11/30/2014 · Last modified 12/05/2019
Teaching history students to interpret charts and graphs is often difficult, especially when their grasp of math is limited. In his low-literacy middle school, Aaron Brock used a small-group, high-interest graphing project to build skills and understanding.
Teachers who begin lessons without telling students “what we’re doing and where we’re going” are kidnappers, says Sarah Tantillo. Don’t take your middle graders on a mystery ride. Use the RPM strategy to write rigorous, purposeful, measurable objectives in any subject. Cheatsheet included!
RTI in Math: Evidence-Based Interventions for Struggling Students combines recommendations of math education researchers and instructional leaders with teaching strategies for a wide range of students. Reviewer Fran Loose offers a detailed overview.
The authors of Realizing Rigor in the Mathematics Classroom help teachers, curriculum coaches and school leaders avoid obstacles, pitfalls and traps on their way to achieving rigor and elevating learning for their students, says Dina Murphy.
In “Engaging Minds in Science and Math Classrooms,” Eric Brunsell & Michelle A. Fleming explain in just 55 pages the why & how of joyful learning that supports today’s ed initiatives. Excellent resource for new and veteran STEM teachers, says math teacher/coach Lynne Menechella.
The ideas in Teaching the Common Core Math Standards with Hands-On Activities worked when she gave them a test run in her classroom, says reviewer Linda Biondi. The book is teacher friendly and ready to use. “You can tell that the book is written by teachers who are currently teaching.”
