Principal and NBCT Rita Platt shares advice for a paradigm shift away from obsessive coverage of content and toward deep and differentiated learning for students who have lived through the months of pandemic schooling. Three questions help us understand what’s essential.
High interest text sets tied to essential questions and in varied formats help emergent bilinguals stick with a particular topic as they learn how to read strategically. Elizabeth Hagan and her colleagues brought Malala Yousafzai to students’ attention with a range of sources.
“Let’s face it, adolescence isn’t plump full of safety and confidence. It’s a developmental stage in which students want and need to be connected and valued.” No wonder middle schoolers dread the “correction” approach to grammar. Jeff Anderson and Travis Leech have found a better way.
To encourage her seventh graders’ reading, Katie Durkin finds herself constantly searching for new ways to keep books in the hands of students. She shares four sustainable practices she uses throughout the school year to plant the seeds of reading with her students.
Checks for Learning / Class Apps
by Curtis Chandler · Published 03/28/2021 · Last modified 10/19/2022
There will always be learning goals that call for written responses. But if we aren’t careful, we can end up turning our checks for understanding into tests of writing. Curtis Chandler shares tools and strategies he uses to make sure every student shows what they know.
Student discipline is high on the job description of most assistant principals. After three years as an AP, here’s what DeAnna Miller has learned about this essential aspect of working with kids: (1) use it as a teachable moment, (2) make it fair, and (3) love them anyway.
Close Reading the Media / Visual Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 03/16/2021 · Last modified 03/17/2021
So much of our world is visual. Helping students learn how to “read” images and detect fakery and manipulation should be part of a 21st century education. Media literacy expert Frank Baker shares lots of ideas, insights and resources to get teachers and students started.
Cris Tovani has written a true page turner to assist all teachers with literacy strategies that will captivate their most reluctant students. “Why Do I Have to Read This?” begins with insights into the many masks of reading resistance that students wear, says Linda Biondi.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, middle grades teacher Kasey Short offers a list of nonfiction and fiction books representing a wide range of girl’s and women’s voices and experiences. All students benefit from reading about smart, brave women who make positive impacts.
Podcasts / Reading for the 21st Century
by Alex Valencic · Published 03/08/2021 · Last modified 03/09/2021
Professional books play an important role in every savvy educator’s growth and development. Podcasts can serve the same purpose, writes instructional leader Alex Valencic. Podcasts not only stimulate our thinking, they lead us to new authors and help us expand our PLNs.
