Jennifer Ingold wants her history students to make the connection between primary-source research and preparation for informed and civil disagreements. Learn about her MLK historical scene investigation activity and a virtual Black History Symposium among students in NY and FL.
Assessing ELs / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Tan Huynh · Published 02/14/2022 · Last modified 01/16/2023
Language specialist Tan Huynh shares the process he’s developed to plan a unit for multilingual learners (and all students). Begin with the assessment – the global “forest” view of the unit – then the trees (lessons) and leaves (tasks). Tan walks you through each stage.
Involving your students in creating public service announcements (PSAs) not only promotes media literacy, writes Frank Baker, it builds teamwork skills, energizes kids to conduct research into authentic social issues, and gives them opportunities to write with real purpose.
Novels in verse offer quicker reads with instant character connections, vivid imagery, pathways to complex issues, strong narratives, and much more. ELA teacher Kasey Short shares how to use them in class and introduces lots of titles for your middle graders.
When Dina Strasser feels at a loss or stymied in something she is trying to do for her students, she often turns to her list of options to gets things done – developed during her 20 years working with school districts and their occasionally labyrinthine bureaucracies.
Teacher and coach Stephanie Farley discovered through trial and refinement that a good rubric is “a tool to provide feedback to kids about their progress toward mastery of a learning target.” See her five backward planning steps and the resulting three-part writing rubric.
Active listening is a key skill for school leaders, especially when faced with the need to mediate complex or volatile issues. Consultants Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn describe 5 barriers to effective listening and 10 tips to help every leader become more successful.
Short-term projects with specific techniques and ample examples fill Shelley Harwayne’s book, Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop. Helene Alalouf recommends the book’s authentic and interesting writing assignments complete with scaffolds and templates.
Middle grades teacher Mona Iehl wants students to be able to “see themselves in math” and be represented in the work they do together. Learn how she uses the images and words of Black Mathematicians to empower and inspire her classes to welcome and master math challenges.
Close Reading the Media / New Vocabulary
by Frank Baker · Published 01/09/2022 · Last modified 01/10/2022
Metaverse? Prebunking? Zombie claims? The rapid evolution of digital technology and methods of persuasion has unleashed a flood of words and phrases that need to be in students’ vocabularies. Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers examples from across current culture.
