Involving your students in creating public service announcements (PSAs) not only promotes media literacy, writes Frank Baker, it builds teamwork skills, energizes kids to conduct research into authentic social issues, and gives them opportunities to write with real purpose.
Being a STEM teacher in 2022 will likely be a new experience every day, even for veterans, writes curriculum designer Anne Jolly. To help out, she suggests ways STEM teachers can care for themselves and ways to sustain kidsβ STEM skills, sharing many resources that can help.
A Teacherβs Guide to Mentor Texts offers a winning combination β a structured lesson approach, a range of suggested mentor texts, and an overall message adaptable to specific students. Teachers at multiple levels of experience will find it invaluable, writes Sara Pennington.
Pull-Out Models / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh Β· Published 01/17/2022 Β· Last modified 01/24/2022
Co-teaching is the preferred way to serve multilinguals, but itβs not the only way to collaborate with colleagues. Language specialist Tan Huynh shows how we can make pull-out services more impactful with co-planning that emphasizes both grade-level content and language skills.
Close Reading the Media / New Vocabulary
by Frank Baker Β· Published 01/09/2022 Β· Last modified 01/10/2022
Metaverse? Prebunking? Zombie claims? The rapid evolution of digital technology and methods of persuasion has unleashed a flood of words and phrases that need to be in studentsβ vocabularies. Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers examples from across current culture.
Class Apps / English Language Learners
by Curtis Chandler Β· Published 01/05/2022 Β· Last modified 03/08/2025
Bouncing off a family session of Scattergories gone wrong, Curtis Chandler considers how to tap into multilingual learnersβ interest in games and competition β including challenging tasks β by offering opportunities to play with and practice new skills in collaborative settings.
Frank Buck revisits the Wild West movie days in his quest to help educators defy the daily deluge of unsolicited or redundant email that steals their time. Get the details on how to circle the wagons, energize the pony express, and deny those emails entry to your inbox.
John Hattie, Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Shirley Clarke show how we can help kids develop as independent and inter-dependent learners through Collective Student Efficacy. Consultant Helene Alalouf praises the authorsβ detailed guidance supported by many classroom examples.
Kasey Short shows how your middle grades school can create a Wellness Fair to highlight that stress is normal, showcase that mental health is a priority, and provide students an opportunity to learn and practice a variety of coping skills. And kids will have fun doing it!
STEM By Design / Student Innovation
by Anne Jolly Β· Published 11/15/2021 Β· Last modified 05/28/2025
Shifting our STEM teaching approach to align with current workforce needs means broadening our thinking about the design process, writes Anne Jolly. That includes helping students work together to build the skills of empathy and creativity that lead to innovative solutions.
