Jeff Wilhelm’s practical strategies – including unique frontloading ideas for addressing prior knowledge – will set students up for using visualization techniques that can improve reading comprehension, says literacy consultant Anne Anderson.
In Whole Novels for the Whole Class, Ariel Sacks offers a student-centered approach that promotes love of reading and deepens discussions, says reviewer Heather Wolpert-Gawron. Sacks’ documented strategies also address Common Core standards.
Mary Tarashuck recalls the holiday Venn diagrams she and her 4th graders organized for the first grade kids and imagines some circles of her own – celebrating her colleagues and her past accomplishments and setting some goals for the future.
Book Reviews / Professional Development
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/29/2013 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Reviewer Sr. Geralyn Schmidt say Elisa MacDonald’s The Skillful Team Leader is a powerful resource through which we can actually understand how, with insightful leadership, teams can overcome barriers to collaboration and change the entire school learning environment for the better.
Middle school advocates have long championed thematic curriculum design & project learning. Now is the time to actually do it, say Nancy Doda & Mark Springer.
The “M” in STEM often feels like a footnote, says Martha Riecks, especially in math classrooms where students need more space to explore ideas & ask questions.
Look no further than Invent to Learn, by Sylvia Martinez and Gary Stager, for information on promoting the Maker Movement in your school, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson. Among many other useful ideas: How to involve students in staging a Maker Fair.
Veteran music educator Nancy Flanagan shares the story of how a “solid bar band” taught her to be a better teacher by immersing her in the rhythm and flow.
Writing in the voice of teachers, says reading coach Katie Gordon, the authors describe how to create classes “where thinking is valued, visible, and actively promoted.”
Tween teacher Mary Tarashuk uses a get-acquainted activity to introduce the QAR (Question Answer Relationship) literacy strategy to her new students.
