As the 2016 Presidential Campaign heats up, media literacy expert Frank W. Baker brings the political races to the classroom with standards-based activities to help students understand the persuasive power of plentiful and often misleading political ads.
Current Events / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 02/15/2016 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Sarah Cooper’s 8th graders recently attempted to create a “consensus document” on U.S. gun laws. She describes the research and discussion process, then shares what she and the students learned about consensus building when issues are highly controversial.
Genius Hour gives students the opportunity to be autonomous in their learning. Sometimes, though, they need a little start-up help. Experts Gallit Zvi and Denise Krebs share lots of starter ideas for students and classrooms and urge readers to add their own.
Rubrics are important tools, says author and veteran MS educator Elyse Scott, but teachers need a more whole-student approach to formative assessment and feedback — one that attends “to that most basic need of young adolescents: one-on-one communication.”
Remember AAA’s Triptiks – the travel resource kits put together for members? If so, you have some inkling of consultant Mike Fisher’s idea to rev up mid-grades curriculum across content areas by having students create their own project-specific learning journeys.
In The Genius Hour Guidebook Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi make the case for sharing Genius Hour with your students, explaining why it works and how to bring it alive for your classes. Educator Sandy Wisneski says the easy read is packed with resources.
In “Standing in the Gap” Lisa Dabbs and Nicol R. Howard encourage all educators, especially new teachers, to find support by connecting on social media, using internet resources in class, and facilitating e-communication with parents. A must read, says educator/writer Mary Langer Thompson.
Conferences are valuable ways to grow professionally. Consultant Anne Anderson, who attended many such events as a teacher, shares ideas for getting buy-in and funding, prepping for the trip, getting the most from talks and exhibits, and bringing it all home.
Working Draft / Writing & Game Design
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 01/12/2016 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Where is the literacy in the ELA classroom when all of the students are engaged in designing and producing video game projects using science and other content? Kevin Hodgson explains why the work his sixth graders are doing satisfies writing 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.
