Storytelling – speaking, writing, hearing, and appreciating our own and other’s stories – can be an equalizer for ensuring all students’ lives are respected, honored, and recorded, writes Literacy Essentials author Regie Routman. Learn about her new podcast series.
At its best, annotation starts a dialogue between our English and History students and thoughtful writers past and present. But that doesn’t mean adolescents are eager to do it. Sarah Cooper shares ideas and online resources to make the process a true learning experience.
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 11/14/2019 · Last modified 01/17/2020
Not only is Mindfulness in the PreK-5 Classroom packed with research-based activities and anecdotes any educator will relate to, it will leave you inspired to bring mindfulness into your own life and your students’ lives, writes a calmer and more focused Linda Biondi.
Writing for authentic audiences motivates students to do their best work, says English department chair Kasey Short. Public audiences offer a practical reason to revise and edit and allow students’ ideas to have real impact. See her tips to transform routine assignments.
How do we teach content and at the same time meet each student’s academic, emotional and mental needs? Lisa Westman’s Student-Driven Differentiation reveals the how and the why, including vignettes from educators, reports special education teacher Julie Battikha.
Throughout Putting Teachers First, Brad Johnson supports his strong belief that a positive relationship between leader and teacher is essential in successful schools. He shares a myriad of ways to make that relationship happen, writes international ed leader Brad Latzke.
Teacher Marketplaces / Teaching with a View
by Brent Gilson · Published 10/30/2019 · Last modified 02/12/2021
Online teacher marketplaces may seem harmless, but when sellers offer materials that violate copyrights and ignore intellectual property rights of original creators, they set a poor example for kids and the profession, says teacher Brent Gilson, a “reformed” TPT vendor.
Class Apps / Student Questioning
by Curtis Chandler · Published 10/29/2019 · Last modified 11/15/2019
One of our teaching tasks with the highest rate of return on time invested is working with students to develop their capacity and confidence to ask good questions. Curtis Chandler offers the research-based tips and tools we need to make eager inquiry an everyday event.
Educators and parents alike will find How Many? A Counting Book a beautiful adventure in learning about how children can grapple with the complexities of mathematical reasoning in relatively simple terms using everyday objects, says history (?!) teacher Michael DiClemente.
Dina Strasser finds more poets are writing about climate change and other social justice issues. Such poems can provide alternatives to middle schoolers when themes aren’t too entangled in complex structures. She suggests some options students can “hook into easily.”
