Family Engagement / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 09/02/2019 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Middle graders, especially ELs and newcomers eager to blend in, may not want to involve families at school. Yet partnering with families leads to greater achievement, lower absenteeism, and better behavior. EL expert Valentina Gonzalez shares her favorite strategies.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 08/07/2019 · Last modified 11/20/2019
With the 2020 election underway fake news and deceptive social media posts and imagery are expected to become commonplace. Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers a lesson to help our always-connected students acquire some of the “healthy skepticism” skills they’ll need.
Building Bridges provides strategies and techniques that can help engage students at risk through the power of relationships and create classrooms and schools where teachers can teach effectively. A worthwhile refresher and book study for educators, writes Anne Anderson.
Bridging the gap between “real STEM study” and how school stakeholders may understand it is a doable task for teachers, says expert Anne Jolly. She offers some elevator-speech essentials to get you started (and perhaps avoid that virtual lab that could be in your future).
By blending social emotional learning into writing workshop, we can spark student confidence and commitment. Author and ELA educator Lynne Dorfman describes a class where students feel safe to express themselves, celebrate writing achievements, and self-identify as writers.
Summer Growth / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 07/07/2019 · Last modified 11/13/2019
Teaching coach and NBCT Elizabeth Stein shows how to create a space that will keep co-teachers learning together throughout the rest of summer, concentrating on what we can do to refresh ourselves AND continue improving and learning in preparation for a productive fall.
Ad Techniques / Close Reading the Media
by Frank Baker · Published 06/30/2019 · Last modified 12/02/2019
In the hope that we can help students become better critical thinkers in a world saturated by social media and unreliable sources, media literacy expert Frank Baker calls attention to techniques used by “media manipulators” to persuade consumers and shape public discourse.
I Will Screw This Up / Teaching Current Events
by Dina Strasser · Published 06/04/2019 · Last modified 04/18/2024
Finding the rationale to bring news discussions into class can be tricky. Veteran teacher and current events advocate Dina Strasser shares her strategy – double dipping. Here’s how to have “productively messy” conversations in 5-10 minutes without losing curriculum focus.
As you relax into summer break, keep an eye on what’s up with STEM learning. Expert Anne Jolly shares resources for keeping up with STEM news and lesson ideas as you reflect on what worked (and didn’t) last year and consider how to amp things up for next fall’s students.
Before she finally produced a successful manuscript, Dr. Malayna Evans had to think long and hard about how to integrate ancient Egyptian history into a story that would appeal to today’s kids. So she turned down her “scholar” and turned up her passion for the subject.
