Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/11/2016 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull-Sypnieski’s guide to implementing the common core with ELLs is a comprehensive “incredibly user-friendly” resource that projects care and respect for teachers, students, and the education profession as a whole, says teacher Rita Platt.
Each unit of Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s latest Project Based Learning book is filled with innovative ideas and detailed steps to implement rich PBL units. Sandy Wisneski, lead teacher in a PBL school, says the book’s guides and resources will engage students.
Book Reviews / Common Core State Standards
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/28/2016 · Last modified 11/21/2019
Hacking the Common Core by Michael Fisher is the book on the CCSS that many teachers have been waiting for, says reviewer Rita Platt. The short but powerful text, in ten easy-to-read chapters, is a practical guide to making the standards work for your students.
The NCSS revised Position Statement on Media Literacy supports engaging students in inquiry and analysis as well as developing their understanding of media and propaganda. Frank W. Baker shows how students can evaluate the flood of fake news and the Fall election.
Starr Sackstein shows ways to maximize the benefits of having students reflect on and self-assess their work – for example, by writing actionable goals for later reflection. Reviewer Susan Schwartz likes the ideas but notes activities target older students.
STEM expert Anne Jolly shares the 9-step process she uses to write a quality lesson that includes some or all of the elements found in the Engineering Design Process (EDP). Included: free downloads of six STEM lesson-writing tools she developed for her new book.
Many teachers are not well equipped to teach “argument” and prepare students for assessments that require them to build an effective claim. Author and consultant Erik Palmer deconstructs current efforts to teach persuasive writing and offers better solutions.
At the heart of Differentiated Lessons is the desire to assist educators in embedding a self-reflective learning process in the classroom while providing students in all subjects continual opportunities to individualize their learning, says ELA teacher Jennifer Wirtz.
Beyond the Textbook / Future of History
by Sarah Cooper · Published 06/27/2016 · Last modified 11/22/2019
In Sarah Cooper’s never-ending effort to reach beyond textbook basics, she sometimes asks students to read a selection from a scholarly journal article or popular history book. Carefully sharing a JSTOR piece on Sherman’s March helped students grasp “total war.”
In the valuable book Infusing Grammar into the Writer’s Workshop, Amy Benjamin and Barbara Golub make an effective team, says special ed teacher Marci Warboys. Benjamin focuses on research and pedagogy and Golub provides detailed lesson plans and resources.
