Educators may be reluctant to try memoir writing with middle grades students, but the rewards are considerable, says 8th grade teacher-author Jake Wizner. He shares three insights that can help guide teachers as they enrich the student writing experience.
The authors of Mastering Digital Literacy provide links to countless tools and resources to support teachers’ goals of immersing their students in the digital world. But educator Sarah Grieb believes the book is not a good fit for the realities of tween classes.
As working adults, our kids will deal with dilemmas involving wholesome food, cloning, climate change, drones, clean water, availability of medicines, genetic testing, and more. Is STEM study preparing students to make decisions that meet ethical standards?
Field trips don’t have to be elaborate, says school leader Mike Janatovich, but they are important for young adolescents who are still making connections between academic content and the real world. He shares ideas and tips to plan an outing this fall.
Climate Change: Discover How it Impacts Spaceship Earth with 25 Projects is on a level that most tweens can grasp, yet it is not oversimplified and builds vocabulary. With its cool facts and high order questions, this book gets MS teacher Laura Von Staden’s recommendation.
Margaret Mary Policastro & Becky McTague offer real-world experiences in detailing how & why the New Balanced Literacy School is vital as schools move toward full CCSS implementation. Their book centers on grades K-5 but is helpful for teachers of higher grades.
Connected Reading: Teaching Adolescent Readers in a Digital World lays out the rationale, as well as a path forward, for expanding the definitions of reading, showing how to engage readers in authentic experiences using varied texts, says Kevin Hodgson.
Kids on the Cusp / Teacher Development
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 10/07/2015 · Last modified 11/28/2019
How do we really build better teachers? Are current school system practices helping? Reading a long-neglected article from the NYT Magazine prompts a fresh reflection on the best ways to improve teaching practice from veteran tween teacher Mary Tarashuk.
For literacy consultant Sarah Tantillo, Reading Informational Text (RIT) Standard 2.1 is both essential and easy to learn. Yet she suspects many students well beyond Grade 2 haven’t mastered it. She shares a quick technique to teach this high-leverage skill in middle grades.
Knowing how television programming is funded can help students understand what is available to view. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker links to sources of advertising data and suggests activities to build student savvy about the genres that fill their screens.
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