Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/11/2016 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull-Sypnieski’s guide to implementing the common core with ELLs is a comprehensive “incredibly user-friendly” resource that projects care and respect for teachers, students, and the education profession as a whole, says teacher Rita Platt.
Each unit of Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s latest Project Based Learning book is filled with innovative ideas and detailed steps to implement rich PBL units. Sandy Wisneski, lead teacher in a PBL school, says the book’s guides and resources will engage students.
We always hear about the “real world” vs. the world in school. Project Based Learning helps to break down that barrier and better merges the two. It’s also undeniably engaging and lures kids into rigorous learning, as in Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s “Invention Unit.”
In the valuable book Infusing Grammar into the Writer’s Workshop, Amy Benjamin and Barbara Golub make an effective team, says special ed teacher Marci Warboys. Benjamin focuses on research and pedagogy and Golub provides detailed lesson plans and resources.
What considerations do teachers of English Language Learners need to keep in mind as they help students “close read” complex texts and meet Common Core standards? Veteran ELL teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski share ideas from their classrooms.
Susan Brooks-Young offers a gateway to designing a Hybrid Mobile Technology Program in any unique school district setting. Her brief book features an abundance of resources, guidelines, and questions, says Joshua Zagorski, a K-12 STEM supervisor and instructional technologist.
Throughout her book “Story” Katie Egan Cunningham shows how stories remain at the center of literacy learning, says teacher-reviewer Linda Biondi, touching the lives of all children and blending seamlessly into curriculum standards.
After reviewing the history of grading, Cathy Vatterott shares reasons for implementing a progressive standards-based grading system, noting the challenges as well as the benefits. Teacher Michael DiClemente sees the need for research-based changes but wonders how to get there.
Book Reviews / Student Driven Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 01/06/2016 · Last modified 11/16/2019
In Building School 2.0, Chris Lehmann and Zac Chase offer sharp insights on the world of learners and a vision for where schools should be heading. They include practical advice on how to move forward as a teacher, as a staff or as an administration, says Kevin Hodgson.
Like many other teachers, Curtis Chandler is trying to uncover all he can about learning and cognition to better understand and serve his students. Here he shares 3 brain-savvy teaching principles – beginning with the primacy-recency effect – drawn from recent research.
