Close Reading the Media / Factchecking
by Frank Baker · Published 05/11/2022 · Last modified 05/12/2022
How do we help students question and verify what they read? It’s not that hard to check things out, writes media literacy expert Frank Baker, but teachers tell him many students today “won’t take the time to do even a cursory investigation.” Baker offers some teaching ideas.
Rather than fixating on immigrant parents’ economic conditions and languages as deficits and labeling them as unable to contribute to their children’s education, ML specialist Tan Huynh advocates for an assets-affirming narrative, sharing the instructive story of his own mother.
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.
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.
Educators are exhausted and under attack, and faculty and staff need school leaders to take their frontline challenges seriously, write Ron Williamson and Barbara Blackburn. The leadership authors detail seven steps principals can take to offer real help and support.
After a year of having her classroom book collection in pandemic disarray, Katie Durkin was ready for a restart. “I’d been researching the benefits of promoting student voice and choice by having them assist in organizing an in-class library. Now I wanted to give it a try.”
Community dissent is rising and schools are not immune. The dilemma for principals: conflicting demands from different groups of parents and other influencers. Ron Williamson and Barbara R. Blackburn offer 10 leadership strategies that can help lessen the impact of conflict.
Using the strategies he shares here, ELA teacher and professional development author Jeremy Hyler has been able to reach more middle grades students and help them understand how they can power up their ability to communicate by learning grammar skills and code switching.
Creating assessments in multiple languages means encouraging students to use their home language throughout the assessment process. Tan Huynh shares seven ways, including conferencing and self-assessing, to embed home languages into evaluations.
Sometimes you just wanted to scream, writes assistant principal DeAnna Miller, but staying focused on compassionate care, supportive relationships, and flexibility in the face of misdirection and uncertainty helped her remain centered and expand her leadership skills.
