Innovative thinking can be taught, says science educator Anne Jolly. She shares five interrelated strategies to overcome fear of failure and spark exploration in STEM class, including creating a safe space for learning, promoting risk-taking, building effective teams, and more.
Teacher educator Amanda Wall describes how she’s blended specific learning activities into class field trips and shares 6 tips to help teachers plan. “It’s certainly true that planning field trips can be challenging, detail-intensive and time-consuming,” she says, “but there is always a reward in student learning.”
In an era when imaginative exploration of language is missing from many ELA classrooms, Ralph Fletcher’s wonderful book, Pyrotechnics on the Page: Playful Craft that Sparks Writing, celebrates playful writing, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.
Exploring Rubrics / MiddleWeb Classics
by MiddleWeb · Published 04/21/2013 · Last modified 11/01/2024
This compilation from our first MiddleWeb site features information about creating and using rubrics effectively and a variety of exemplars.
To help readers grasp how engineering principles are integrated into math & science curriculum, Anne Jolly reveals the anatomy of a real STEM lesson.
STEM By Design / STEM Program Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 04/07/2013 · Last modified 11/24/2019
STEM educator Anne Jolly says that authentic, mature STEM programs can point to 10 basic outcomes. Does your program have the real-deal ingredients?
Students will take the strategies from Notice & Note: Strategies for Close Reading beyond their current classroom to strengthen their critical thinking and their enthusiasm about reading, says reviewer Sandy Wisneski.
Closing the Achievement Gap / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/03/2013 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Elizabeth Stein & assistant principal Paul McNeil consider personal, classroom, and school strategies that can help close achievement gaps for students with disabilities, including peer tutoring and support for high expectations. It takes a team approach, and it takes time and patience.
The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I’ve Learned About Teaching Along the Way is a major collection of the author’s columns and articles on middle grades teaching practice and is indeed “crazy good stuff,” says reviewer Elizabeth Stein.
In the middle grades, arts integration can deepen learning, address the Common Core, and spark academic progress across the curriculum.
