Leila Christenbury and Ken Lindblom pack the voices of teachers and students, activities, stories, recommended reading, and references into the journey they lay out for new and novice ELA teachers. Forty-year veteran Linda BIondi recommends their book highly.
Jennie Magiera urges teachers to launch edventures, pursuing innovations that boost student engagement, build class culture, differentiate, promote digital citizenship and more. Laura Von Staden also likes Magiera’s plentiful ideas about professional learning.
Rosalind Wiseman’s Owning Up takes on the ambitious task of talking to middle schoolers about some of the complex social situations adolescents encounter. Maeghan Warburton recommends the 17 flexible lessons addressing bullying, social cruelty, and injustice.
Katherine Bomer provides concrete suggestions that help teachers move away from formulaic essay teaching while helping young writers name and revise their thinking, reveal truth, and weave in other voices as they draft, fine-tune, and revise, says Brian Kelley.
David B. Cohen travels to 70 California schools to meet inspired teachers who experience autonomy and opportunities to lead. Though his visits lack the rigor of research, Mary Langer Thompson says his book can show readers what’s good about public schools.
In “Read Talk Write” Laura Robb provides strategies that can grow students’ ability to have rich, accountable conversations, leading to productive, engaging writing. Reviewer Linda Biondi especially appreciates the mentor texts, detailed lessons, and reproducibles.
Cathie E. West packs her book with key concepts and skills, charts to help explain these, engagement strategies and step-by-step activities, all to help achieve teacher – and subsequently student – engagement. Literacy coach Janice Rustico finds it a keeper.
Book Reviews / Project Based Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 03/23/2017 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Todd Stanley’s units of study address the need of today’s students both to problem solve and present findings to an audience. Jennifer Wirtz implemented a well resourced Oral Presentation unit and will use more of the easily adapted projects with her 7th graders.
Responsive Classroom’s 50 brain breaks give kids a chance to rest their brains by redirecting their minds. Some are calming, some are energizing, and all help students refocus & release stress. Quick, easy and student approved, says teacher Linda Biondi.
Articles / Book Reviews / Reading / Whole Novels
by MiddleWeb · Published 03/16/2017 · Last modified 07/07/2024
Ariel Sacks’ Whole Novels for the Whole Class is “the ultimate teacher-friendly manual for accommodating all students around a single book,” says ELA veteran Mary Tedrow, who finds Sacks’ practical specificity convincing and her confidence infectious.
