Category: Book Reviews

What Makes Kids Tick & Learn

Debbie Silver’s gift in Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed, says reviewer Julie Dermody, is not just informing readers about motivational research, but bringing all the research together for classroom use.

Teacher-Led PD Circles

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.

Energize ELLs

The understanding she gained from Reaching English Language Learners in Every Classroom: Energizers for Teaching and Learning by Debbie Arechiga will help reviewer Mary Churchill better prepare her pre-service teachers to work with ELL students.

Turn Students into Sleuths

Wherever you are on your journey to improve text-based critical thinking & discussion, you’ll find a wealth of ideas & resources in Teaching Students to Read Like Detectives: Comprehending, Analyzing, and Discussing Text , says reviewer Joan Cansdale.

Teaching Comparative Thinking

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.

Inspiring the Adolescent Brain

Reviewer Diane Horban says Judy Willis succeeds in intertwining brain research with practical lesson ideas to ignite the thinking power of 10 to 14-year olds in her book, Inspiring Middle School Minds: Gifted, Creative & Challenging.

Connected Professional Learning

Educators looking for ways to become more connected to other educators using digital tools will find plenty of meat in The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age, says reviewer Fran Lo.

Teaching Kids to Succeed

Debbie Silver’s book, Fall Down 7 Times, Get Up 8: Teaching Kids to Succeed, is “an ideal blend” of theory, common sense, research & humor about effective ways to help students succeed, says reviewer Susie Highley.

A Festival of Book Reviews

Our Fall Book Review Festival features 15 brand-new reviews of professional books – each one written by and for middle grades educators – on teaching strategies, visual & media literacy, test preparation, the Common Core, academic icebreakers, RTI & special education, social studies, mathematics, teacher research, ESL students, and student motivation.