Troublemakers. Forgetters. The Clingers. The Confused. Barbara Blackburn looks at how we often jump to conclusions and miss chances to build trust, explore the needs behind the behaviors, and help students grow. Once we jump, she warns, it’s hard to jump back.
Book Reviews / Visual & Media Literacy
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/22/2016 · Last modified 11/30/2019
DIY Literacy by Kate and Maggie Roberts is not only a how-to book on designing visual learning tools but also a source of advice on implementing them in the classroom. It has just what lead teacher Sandy Wisneski needs to augment her lack of artistic talent.
Math teachers looking for ways to promote deeper student “math talk” might consider team card sorting, says Michelle Russell, author of MiddleWeb’s new “Meaningful Math” blog. Among her tips: resist jumping in to help – and always have a culminating activity.
NBCT Amber Chandler looks at three factors that might be holding teachers back from pursuing National Board Certification – finding time, covering the cost, or “already being a good teacher” – and offers her reasons why you should move beyond all three obstacles.
Bryan Goodwin & Elizabeth Ross Hubbell make a compelling argument that teachers can improve their impact on student learning by using a “do-confirm” checklist based on 12 essential daily touchstones that represent current research on what works best. Pilots do!
Book Reviews / Vocabulary Instruction
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/09/2016 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Joanne Billingsley’s Making Words Real provides specific, detailed instructions for teachers to use when introducing a vocabulary strategy. Anne Anderson recommends her systematic approach to card sorts, sample lessons, sentence starters/stems and more.
Writing from her experience attempting to implement Standards Based Grading at her middle school, Jennifer Wirtz admits to frustration and looks to Schimmer’s “Grading From the Inside Out” for ways to consistently hold students accountable while promoting mastery.
Students who feel a strong connection to their classmates and teachers are much more likely to persist and achieve shared goals, learn respect, and develop communication skills. Teaching expert Julia Thompson offers strategies to help build positive communities.
Frank Buck provides a total organizational system for the busy classroom or administrative leader. Mary Langer Thompson reports his paper and digital strategies, all presented in a user-friendly and supportive tone, cost little and can be implemented immediately.
In “Text Structures From the Masters,” educators Gretchen Bernabei and Jennifer Koppe did the hard work for English and social studies teachers of grades 6–10 when they collected 50 quality, nonfiction mentor texts and created an easy-to-follow lesson structure for each one.
