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.
Teachers can help students explore important connections across different genres and subjects using “text sets” – collections of books and other media with a common theme. In this MiddleWeb article, teacher educator Amanda Wall details an assignment creating text sets for ELA and math.
Book Reviews / Speaking and Listening Skills
by MiddleWeb · Published 04/18/2014 · Last modified 12/01/2019
Each chapter of The Language of Learning helps teachers craft lessons that teach how to have academic conversations that are clear, coherent, purposeful and well reasoned, conveying curiosity, open-mindedness and respect, says reviewer Linda Biondi.
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.
Future of History / Real world applications
by Aaron Brock · Published 04/13/2014 · Last modified 12/02/2019
There’s no room in an adolescent’s world view for the loftier goals of history study, says Aaron Brock. So when teaching about American rights of assembly and petition, Brock has students write petitions about issues close to their own school lives.
Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 04/13/2014 · Last modified 12/05/2019
Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners by Jane E. Hill and Kirsten B. Miller is valuable for ensuring that English learners are challenged at Bloom’s higher levels of thinking and understanding, with the appropriate scaffolding, says reviewer Jennifer Underwood.
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.
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.
