The Advisory Book: Building a Community of Learners (2nd Edition) by Linda Crawford is an excellent resource for specific ideas & activities as well as the research that supports Advisory, says teacher educator Amanda Wall.
Blend research into an adventure story? Reviewer Kevin Hodgson says this intriguing book, Writing to Explore: Discovering Adventure in the Research Paper, can help achieve standards for expository, informational & narrative writing.
Teacher Mark A. Domeier likes the concept behind Teri Lesesne’s reading ladders in Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where They Are to Where We’d Like Them to Be, but he says they’ll have to be adapted to the realities of middle school class size.
Book Reviews / Teaching with Graphics & Media
by MiddleWeb · Published 02/28/2013 · Last modified 02/13/2014
Serious Comix: Engaging Students with Digital Storyboards is a book less about teaching comics & more about settings that let all students thrive by mixing conversation, art, storytelling & technology, says Kevin Hodgson.
In Background Knowledge: The Missing Piece of the Comprehension Puzzle Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey focus on an essential topic, says reviewer Fran Toomey: How do we activate, access & build background knowledge in learners?
High-Impact Instruction: A Framework for Great Teaching by Jim Knight “spectacularly delivers on its promise” to present a comprehensive framework for great teaching, says Julie Dermody. “It’s a career investment.”
Reviewer Elisa Waingort finds Ron Berger’s 2003 book, An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students, timeless and timely, with concrete suggestions for building a classroom culture of excellence.
This teacher-friendly book, Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman, helps us understand what the ELA CCSS really say and how to bring them to life in classes, writes reviewer Julie DeMicco.
In The Literacy Cookbook: A Practical Guide to Effective Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening Instruction, Sarah Tantillo’s banquet of tasty recipes for good literacy instruction are also a helpful ELA Common Core resource, says reviewer Linda Biondi.
This book about creative approaches to assessment, Authentic Assessment: Active, Engaging Product and Performance Measures, is clearly written for both teachers and students, says reviewer Tracey Muise. Sandra Schurr’s book provides many ready to implement ideas.
