Literacy expert Laura Robb offers her research-based argument for refocusing American school reform on strategies to strengthen support for teachers and promote opportunities for all children to become creative, divergent thinkers and problem solvers.
As STEM educator Anne Jolly discovered while facilitating a recent online PD class, many teachers still wonder, “Am I teaching STEM?” Here, Jolly offers a clear guide for determining whether projects and lessons meet the STEM acid test. Checklist included!
Future of History / History Resources
by Jody & Shara · Published 09/03/2014 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Pressed for time at the end of the year but determined to engage her history students in the post-Civil War era, Jody Passanisi turned to a pre-made lesson from SHEG. Before long her students were debating the impact of Reconstruction on American history.
Can Pop Culture and Shakespeare Exist in the Same Classroom? The answer is “yes,” says reviewer Judi Holst. All that prior knowledge can help students understand and discuss complex text. The authors show how to make complex text pop.
Movies and television are recognized in the Common Core standards as forms of “text” that deserve serious study. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker suggests ways that the Emmy Awards might serve as a way to engage students around familiar media.
Teaching with Text-Based Questions: Helping Students Analyze Nonfiction and Visual Texts is precisely what teachers will need to jumpstart critical thinking, high quality conversations, and tight writing, says reviewer Tess Alfonsin.
Future of History / Teaching strategies
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/11/2014 · Last modified 12/03/2019
New ideas can improve the curriculum and teaching strategies of history educators, but that doesn’t have to mean throwing out the old to experiment with the new. What to keep and what to add? Our history bloggers share some helpful criteria.
While we want students to fall in love with reading through text choices that excite them, says literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, teachers must also address challenging skills and content and make sure students grow their background knowledge base. Tantillo shares ideas about finding the balance.
Students benefit from reading independently if specific conditions are in place. In No More Independent Reading Without Support Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss share research-based strategies to enhance classroom practice and student learning.
Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/06/2014 · Last modified 11/27/2019
The authors of Interactive Notebooks & English Language Learners offer convincing evidence that interactive notebooks can provide ELLs with the academic scaffolding needed to actively participate in classroom activities, says reviewer Elisa Waingort.
