Teachers want to create a space for their students to speak with authenticity and agency, writes author and English teacher Marilyn Pryle. She and 7th grade teacher Sharon Ratliff share ways to use Pryle’s Reading Responses strategy to deepen student thinking about literature.
Mentor Texts That Multitask by Pam Koutrakos is a perfect ELA resource for working smarter, not harder. It leads readers through the why, what and how of using mentor texts to design flexible, integrated, multifaceted literacy learning – and includes free online resources.
Williamson and Blackburn highlight four good reasons to be optimistic about the future of America’s public schools. Community approval is the highest in nearly 50 years; teachers are better prepared for the future, and the resilience of public educators remains remarkable.
Editors Davis and Douglas have organized a valuable research-based collection of articles by field-based practitioners of gifted education, writes teacher Erin Corrigan-Smith. A major focus: instructional methods that address the under-representation of minority and twice-exceptional students.
Curious about what students may have learned this year that traditional assessment may not uncover? Deep learning expert Dr. Karin Hess shares five activities and explains how two key elements of learning – metacognition and reflection – can team up to reveal hidden understanding.
With finals fast approaching, Stephanie Farley created a summative assessment experience to encourage every student to demonstrate their mastery of the learning targets as well as be acknowledged and appreciated for their contributions. The exam period “dinner party” was a hit.
With its checklists, scenarios, and tools, The PD Book by Elena Aguilar and Lori Cohen is a valuable resource and guide for anyone tapped to become a professional learning provider – either internally or externally, writes adult learning consultant Cathy Gassenheimer.
ELA teacher Dr. Jason DeHart makes the argument that “literacy” today is not something that can only be accessed through an elusive set of text-based standards and practices but instead a state that can be achieved using a wide range of readily available media modalities.
How-to articles often tout the idea of starting the school year with blank walls. 7th grade team leader Katie Durkin decided to finally let go of her need to fully decorate things herself and invite students and teachers to fill the empty spaces with community-building visuals.
Dina Strasser recommends ditching the reading wars that are distracting educators across America. Tracking the changing theories and practices of recent decades, she concludes that phonics, the science of reading, and balanced literacy can work together to benefit students.
