The practical format of Regie Routman’s Literacy Essentials makes reading this robust, idea-packed book a pleasure. Its many examples, pictures, anchor charts, lesson plans, and lists make the advice easy to access and implement, writes improvement specialist Deana Jones.
You’ve heard of innovation, and you’ve heard of mindset, but what is an Innovator’s Mindset? School leader George Couros offers his manifesto on how we can change education, not with step-by-step instructions but by growing a teaching culture of “relentless restlessness.”
The Literacy Quick Guide by popular experts Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell is a good planning resource for the busy teacher who does not have much time to read lengthy explanations and theory. Teacher Stacy Thorpe provides a detailed overview of the PreK-8 resource.
Teaching with Mathematical Argument can help support students as they reason through math problems, shifting the focus from “the answer” to the processes that lead to clearer understanding. Cynthia McBride likes the inclusion of assessment and parent communication advice.
Being the Change is a book about enhancing professional knowledge, but it’s also one with heart, inspiring educators to think about ways their teaching can impact the future of our world so it’s a more compassionate place. Practical and insightful, writes Lisa Maucione.
The First-Year Teacher’s Survival Guide offers abundant ideas to help navigate the ever changing world of the classroom. Reviewer Linda Biondi notes it is designed to help ease the pressures and demands of day-to-day teaching for new and veteran teachers alike.
Rebecca Crockett’s one-size-fits-all math station rotations weren’t meeting the needs of all her students. In Math Workstations in Action she found a clear explanation and a set of steps to organize workstations around needed fluencies and to gauge student progress.
In Super Spellers, Mark Weakland offers a “transformative path” to move away from memorizing 20 words weekly toward a developmental approach that provides students with strategies to become more proficient spellers, readers and writers, says Kathleen Palmieri.
In Mindsets and Moves, Gravity Goldberg shows how to change mindsets in our classrooms and how to move students from reading as work to reading as a pathway to learning. Educator Laura Von Staden recommends this well-written, thought-provoking book.
Reclaiming the Principalship develops six innovative ideas – including unifying the school community and professional networking – that a school leader can use and reflect upon throughout their career. Assistant principal Laura Colbert highly recommends the book.
