Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital World lays out the rationale, as well as a path forward, for expanding the definitions of reading, showing how to engage readers in authentic experiences using varied texts, says Kevin Hodgson.
Nancy Dean has created mini-lessons to help students come to a deep understanding of the often misunderstood concept of “voice.” The lessons are solid & implementable, using familiar excerpts from complex & engaging literature, says reviewer Sarah Shah.
Dionne V. McLaughlin’s process of continually directing the reader through the decision making process with guidance from 21 expert principals is what makes this book a useful tool for any novice or aspiring principal, says assistant principal Bret Olson.
Differentiation / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/06/2015 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Wondering how – with enough learning time – she could reach individual 8th grade U.S. history students where they are “most curious & invested,” teacher Sarah Cooper considers the breadth of current events resources and connections she could suggest.
Plans for Republican and Democratic primary debates are well underway. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker is ready with guidelines for engaging students in classroom research and discussion. Baker’s first focus: the very crowded GOP debates scheduled for this fall.
New principals can fall prey to “task overload.” What’s more, the transition from working with teachers as peers to working as a supervisor can be disorienting. Experts Ron Williamson & Barbara Blackburn share advice in six critical areas of the new job.
Current Events / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 05/31/2015 · Last modified 12/03/2019
Social studies teacher Sarah Cooper has found it “heartening to talk about the news every day” with history students this school year and wonders about activities that might engage next year’s kids even more deeply in the important questions facing the world.
Educators who read policy pundit Rick Hess’s new book The Cage-Busting Teacher will find plenty to disagree with, says instructional specialist Curtis Chandler, but “they will also learn quite a bit about their potential and influence as an educator.”
Kids on the Cusp / Making Connections
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/05/2015 · Last modified 11/30/2019
Students’ success in making connections – whether listening, writing, or linking ideas with bits of yarn – is essential to learning. Mary Tarashuk sees those connections in her 4th graders’ notebooks and in their eyes. But can PARCC prompts capture them?
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.
