This school year the chronic student supplies problem has been worsened by lack of school funding, inflation, increasing expectations for digital devices, and the pandemic’s devastating financial impact. Middle grades teacher Dina Strasser shares one equitable solution.
In The Gift of Story John Schu shows how to use the roles of story as clarifier, healer, inspiration, compassion, and connector to bring reading alive. Literacy leader Sarah Valter loves how ‘Mr. Schu’ emphasizes the many ways stories can weave us all closer together.
Math students in the middle grades want the truth: “Why should math matter to me?” To show them, curriculum leader Christian Polizzi suggests making real-world connections, asking students for examples in their own lives, and having them create “personalized” math problems.
Learning assertiveness skills can help middle school students express themselves while also respecting and empathizing with others. Using six short videos, Drs. Pattie Noonan and Amy Gaumer Erickson share strategies to teach tweens how to apply this key communication tool.
ENL teacher Dina Strasser completes her review of The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide (2nd Ed) by Ferlazzo and Sypnieski and concludes that making full use of this “eminently practical” book will demonstrably strengthen novice and expert teachers’ work with ELL students.
Book Reviews / I Will Screw This Up / Teaching ELLs
by Dina Strasser · Published 04/26/2022 · Last modified 08/23/2022
In The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide (2nd Edition) teacher-authors Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski provide an accessible compendium of deep practical knowledge intended for the most part for MS and HS ELLs and teachers, writes ENL educator Dina Strasser.
What promises do we need to make (and keep) so that our students will truly believe they belong in our classrooms and will be safe and cared for there? Middle grades leaders Laurie Barron and Patti Kinney break down the 25 promises they feel have the most impact.
When kids struggle to stay on task, reach goals, and take ownership of their learning, they lack self-regulation. Using clear text and video explanations, Amy Gaumer Erickson and Pattie Noonan break down the four components of self-regulation that will help students succeed.
Kasey Short shows how your middle grades school can create a Wellness Fair to highlight that stress is normal, showcase that mental health is a priority, and provide students an opportunity to learn and practice a variety of coping skills. And kids will have fun doing it!
Rebecca Crockett values the work Geraldine Woods has done in creating Sentence. A Period-to-Period Guide to Building Better Readers and Writers and the expertise she shares with teachers less experienced with this method of teaching. Destined to be an oft-referenced book!
