Mary Tarashuk is counting on Peter Brown’s fiction picture books to enliven her 4th graders’ adaptation to their new classroom and their first science unit on animal and plant adaptation. The Global Read Aloud, featuring Brown’s Roz the Wild Robot, is in the wings.
First Days of Math Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 07/23/2017 · Last modified 12/12/2019
Michelle Russell anticipates her math students will arrive in a few weeks with predictable gaps in their understanding of operations involving fractions and equations. To be more proactive, she’ll offer some refresher activities during the first week of school.
Laurie Lichtenstein can’t let the school year end without thanking Lin Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton for his profound effect on her 7th grade American history class. Her open letter to the Founding Father shares her students’ new excitement for history’s unfolding drama.
Fourth grade teacher Alex Valencic looks forward to integrating Jan Richardson’s assess-decide-guide framework into his guided reading instruction. Beyond its thorough introduction, the book shows in detail how students at 5 levels of reading can develop their skills.
Close Reading the Media / Visual Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 06/27/2017 · Last modified 12/12/2019
If your students think a photo can’t change history, have them think again, with this resource-rich article from media literacy expert Frank W. Baker, drawing on the work of civil rights era photojournalist Charles Moore, whose iconic images still haunt us today.
To help students be ready for the challenges of their digital connections, infrequent workshops at school aren’t enough. Media educator and producer Diana Graber outlines what kids need to know and how to provide the curriculum to build competence and protect futures.
Do teachers always need to be the tour guide and plan every step of the learning journey? Consultant Gravity Goldberg believes teachers can also be co-explorers and create opportunities for students to make their own discoveries. Her sample reading unit shows how.
In an era of fake news and “alternate facts” how do we teach kids to read responsibly? Respected literacy authors Kylene Beers and Robert Probst share three Big Questions that students can use to anchor themselves as they examine nonfiction and their own values.
Teachers at Florence (AL) Middle School use common planning time to discuss many instructional strategies. Once a month they look at student work together, across grades and subjects. Here, instructional coach Jill Edwards shares six video clips and related resources.
Reading Nancie Atwell and Anne Atwell Merkel’s The Reading Zone, 2nd edition, is like getting a letter from a good friend and mentor, says ELA teacher Amy Matthes. Find reading workshop case studies to help readers become passionate, skilled, and habitual.
