Debbie Silver’s worst mistake? She managed to teach middle level science classes for too many years without ever fully embracing the practice of pre-assessment. See how her teaching changed and how yours might too with her simple go-to pre-assessment tools.
Future of History / History and Spoken Poetry
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/24/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
History teacher Sarah Cooper is enthusiastically barreling into the year with a totally untried project. It asks eighth graders to research a current issue in the news that they’re passionate about, then write and film their own spoken word poem. What could go wrong?
Adolescent Development / Book Reviews
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/21/2017 · Last modified 11/16/2019
As the girls (and other kids) in your classes navigate the complicated, often contradictory messages our society sends as they grow from children into independent adults, they will appreciate the kinds of support “Untangled” will enable you to offer, says Bill Ivey.
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/21/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford offer a detailed look at social-emotional learning in Teaching Kids to Thrive. Veteran teacher David Bever finds the up-to-the-minute research coupled with extensive strategies a winning combination for boosting SEL practice.
Excited about Science / The Science Lady
by Kathy Renfrew · Published 09/20/2017 · Last modified 12/01/2019
What can science teachers do in the first weeks of school to get students intrigued, energized, and focused on science studies all year long? Using an NGSS framework, veteran middle grades teacher and science specialist Kathy Renfrew shares some of her favorite ideas.
Math teacher Michelle Russell has come to believe that having students working at the whiteboard is a good teaching practice. Even so, she’s been busy exploring advantages and disadvantages via online and student research, striving to make a good practice even better.
Done right, teacher coaching “can create bridges between varied experiences and classroom contexts, so that teaching knowledge flows in many directions, and teaching becomes a less isolated, more connected profession.” Ariel Sacks shares two lessons she learned early on.
This fall, as school districts scattered around the country are considering “no homework” policies, teacher educator Curtis Chandler looks at research on whether and how homework can support learning and suggests teaching apps to help make it short, meaningful, and accessible.
Challenging Learning Through Feedback is an inspiring book that links feedback to a strong, ongoing classroom assessment process. Thanks to the authors, says teacher-librarian Rita Platt, the quality of her own formative assessments and feedback has improved.
Why talk about mistakes in math class? Nancy C. Anderson has the answer in her book “What’s Right About Wrong Answers.” Resource teacher Kimberly Mueller says Anderson’s activities can help students learn how to analyze their mistakes and develop a growth mindset.
