Future of History / Year in Review
by Jody & Shara · Published 06/14/2015 · Last modified 12/02/2019
History teacher Jody Passanisi pauses during the end-of-year whirlwind to reflect on classes that went well and teaching that will need more work. TodaysMeet and Ideapaint get a thumbs up. Student blogging will need adjustments. For now, summer PD beckons.
Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/07/2015 · Last modified 11/29/2019
After a decade teaching third and fourth graders, Patti Grayson ventured into middle school this past year. She has come away from her first year in the middle with several gleanings about the most effective ways to work with unpredictable, sensitive tweens.
Playing with Stories is THE book for those in love with stories and those who believe that we “think in story,” says reviewer, poet and retired principal Mary Langer Thompson. Author Kevin Cordi shares strategies for building stories solo, with a partner or within small groups.
Making Number Talks Matter guides teachers in implementing frequent 15-minute conversations that help students make sense of math relationships and apply strategies to manipulate numbers mentally. Reviewer Jennifer Druffel is planning Number Talks in her classroom next year.
Math teachers wondering how their students came up with wrong answers will find lots to use in Children’s Mathematics: Cognitively Guided Instruction. Videoed children explain their solutions and so reveal teaching insights, says reviewer Maia Fastabend.
Book Reviews / Data-driven Instruction
by MiddleWeb · Published 05/14/2015 · Last modified 11/24/2019
17,000 Classroom Visits Can’t Be Wrong leaves the reader feeling empowered and ready to make positive changes to reach the next level of engagement and academic strategies in the classroom. It is a must read, says reviewer Jennifer Druffel.
Seventh grade teacher Kami Spampinato uses four kid-savvy strategies to get her students to “buy in” to reading complex texts. In this post, former MS educator Anne Vilen of Expeditionary Learning summarizes each technique and shares supporting EL videos.
Every day news images flood our print publications, digital spaces and social media apps. Why do some become iconic and unforgettable? Media literacy expert Frank Baker suggests ways that students can explore this question through close reading & research.
Laura Fleming’s Worlds of Making is an excellent guide to establishing a school-based center where students can be involved in creative “maker” activities. From finding space and getting buy-in to building student engagement, this short book has the answers, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.
In “Blended: Using Disruptive Innovation to Improve Schools,” the authors provide a roadmap to help educators deconstruct a factory-style education system and introduce innovative approaches that empower students as learners, says reviewer Mackenzie Grate.
