Alternate histories / Future of History
by Jody & Shara · Published 04/27/2014 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Can speculation about alternate history and “what-if” scenarios help students sharpen their critical thinking skills? Participants in a recent Twitter hashtag chat think so, as MiddleWeb history bloggers Jody Passanisi and Shara Peters report.
Kids on the Cusp / Passion-based Learning
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 04/27/2014 · Last modified 12/15/2019
Upper elementary teacher Mary Tarashuk – who has always viewed “teach” as an action verb – is learning to step back and let students pursue their interests and passions more often, with the help of laptops & content-specific anchor activities.
Effective STEM programs prepare more students to pursue STEM-related careers and help assure economic prosperity, says consultant Susan Pruet. To achieve this level of success, programs must cultivate informed and involved community and school leaders.
Integrating curriculum / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 04/15/2014 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Applying literacy workshop principles, Mary Tarashuk discovers new ways to blend ELA & social studies content. She describes how a novel about the Old West exploits of disguised woman Charley Parkhurst increased 4th graders’ interest in American history.
Green STEM Projects / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 04/06/2014 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Earth Day: Science educator Anne Jolly remembers her first and best STEM project, when disengaged 8th graders learned how cool math, science and engineering could be by constructing a wetlands to reduce the environmental impact of a new school.
Book Reviews / Race, Class and School
by John Norton · Published 04/03/2014 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Teacher José Vilson’s must-read book, This Is Not A Test, cuts through political platitudes into the heart of America’s unresolved contradictions: public education and democratic principles; equity and privilege, race and class, says reviewer John Norton.
If persistent inequalities in urban and rural classrooms continue across the public system, reading expert Laura Robb says, it will be impossible for many children in poverty to achieve the deeper levels of learning anticipated by the Common Core.
Donalyn Miller’s Reading in the Wild is a great workshop-focused resource for any ELA teacher who wants to cultivate lifelong reading habits and is “looking for a viable alternative to traditional instruction,” says teacher-reviewer Tyler McBride.
An essay without a thesis might have great ideas in it, but absent an organizing principle it doesn’t hold together. Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo shares tools for thesis brainstorming & organizing that can save students and teachers time and pain.
Teachers who fail to actively involve students in learning experiences are mired in mediocrity, says educator Barbara Blackburn. The author of Rigor Is Not a 4-Letter Word shares five rules for student engagement she’s discovered, with examples from her own teaching and consulting.
