Kelly Gallagherβs βIn the Best Interest of Studentsβ considers both the strengths and shortcomings of the Common Core ELA anchor standards. In this excerpt, Gallagher stresses the need for students to have βworthy modelsβ at every stage of the writing process.
Veteran teacher-educator Jennifer Gonzalez knows the anxiety and frustration associated with learning to teach with technology. In this excerpt from her new book, Jenn shares her 7-step framework for adding more digital prowess to your teaching practice.
Expeditionary Learningβs free open-source curriculum is framed by Topics, Targets, Texts & Tasks. Co-designer Cheryl Dobbertin shares insights gained during the crowd-sourced development phase, arguing that inquiry learning begins with compelling curriculum.
Kids on the Cusp / Standardized Testing
by Mary Tarashuk Β· Published 02/26/2015 Β· Last modified 11/15/2019
Teacher Mary Tarashuk has reasserted her βIrish Zenβ following the full frontal assault on PARCC testing in her last post. She describes how her fourth graders had fun learning about Chinese New Year while also practicing for the high stakes test in prescribed ways.
When Cheryl Mizerny invited her 6th graders to pursue a βpassion projectβ of their own choosing, she included the option to help someone in need. The results surprised her. βI greatly underestimated my studentsβ capacity for wanting to make a difference.β
Book Reviews / Teaching for the Future
by MiddleWeb Β· Published 02/12/2015 Β· Last modified 11/13/2019
David N. Perkinsβ Future Wise: Educating Our Children for a Changing World is profoundly unsettling in the best way, simply because it gives so many expansive possibilities for making every minute of a studentβs day relevant, says reviewer Sarah Cooper.
Articles / Teaching the Whole Adolescent
by MiddleWeb Β· Published 02/08/2015 Β· Last modified 07/15/2024
In her valentine βto those volatile adolescents and the educators who cherish them,β veteran middle level teacher Beth Morrow highlights six good reasons to spend your days with βthe wonderfully rough and resilient gems that are middle school students.β
Upstanders supports the complex challenge of cross-content literacy with excellent lesson plans, and authors Smokey Daniels and Sara Ahmed also describe a path to develop the most difficult skill for young middle schoolers, learning to be truly empathic.
Book Reviews / Teaching in the Middle
by MiddleWeb Β· Published 01/22/2015 Β· Last modified 11/30/2019
Even if you think you know all there is to know about middle schoolers, says teacher-reviewer Beth Morrow, you are bound to understand their thinking and behavior differently after you finish reading What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know.
With the winter βread by the fireβ season in full force, we offer a selection of 20 MiddleWeb posts that have garnered thousands of views apiece. They represent the wisdom & expertise of middle grades educators with a wide range of teaching experiences.
