Learning needs to become active and stay that way. Ron Nash’s 2nd edition of “From Seatwork to Feetwork” explains how teachers can let go of traditional teaching methods and shift to student-directed classrooms, says educator and writer Mary Langer Thompson.
Future of History / Writing in Social Studies
by Jody & Shara · Published 04/19/2016 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Today’s history students need to include evaluation, analysis, and synthesis in writing assignments, going well beyond the traditional reporting of facts. Shara Peters and Jody Passanisi share their methods for helping students improve their writing skills.
“Groupthink” can happen if team members are afraid of the consequences of sharing their real thoughts and feelings. When divergent thinking is left of of the school improvement discussion, writes leadership coach Elena Aguilar, positive and lasting change isn’t likely to occur.
Involving parents and families in a partnership with schools has a positive impact on students. What can principals do to ensure the partnership is sustained, vibrant and diverse? Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn suggest strategies to build connections.
Articles / It's Not Easy Being Tween / Whole Novels / Whole Novels
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 04/17/2016 · Last modified 07/07/2024
Whole-class novel study is one curricular tradition that’s taken a huge beating in the last several years, writes ELA teacher Cheryl Mizerny. But not in her classroom, where Cheryl works to balance indepth novel study with student book choice and read-alouds.
When students struggle to write coherent essays or can’t explain their evidence well enough, it often boils down to this: they need help learning to build strong paragraphs. Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo takes us step by step through her construction process.
Paid ads and social media give lots of exposure to Presidential candidates. They also get free visibility from magazines, though they don’t always like what they see. Frank Baker offers a magazine-cover activity to help students build media literacy skills.
What considerations do teachers of English Language Learners need to keep in mind as they help students “close read” complex texts and meet Common Core standards? Veteran ELL teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski share ideas from their classrooms.
After a decade of forgoing the activity, Sarah Cooper recently revisited hand-drawn concept maps as a means to further engage her 8th graders in US reform movements. Here she shares ideas she’ll use to deepen the successful assignment next time.
Recent research finds that hesitant adolescent writers seldom respond positively to mentor texts by “stellar” peers. Instead, poet and educator Sara Holbrook suggests a co-creation framework that scaffolds the student writing process in a collaborative poetry workshop setting.
