Book Reviews / Proficiency-Based Instruction
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/05/2019 · Last modified 11/23/2019
Proficiency-Based Instruction breaks down the deeply flawed, longstanding approach to lesson design and delivery, and walks readers through reimagining their planning and instruction to develop the proficiency of every learner, says a totally-sold Jennifer Savery.
Rita Platt’s Working Hard, Working Happy is a quick read, with many useful ideas about creating a learning culture in your classroom and school. Any teacher who wants students filled with joy and self-motivation needs to read this practical book, writes Kimberly Higgins.
Create Compose Connect / The Reading Problem
by Jeremy Hyler · Published 09/04/2019 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Teachers and literacy coaches have to realize there really are middle level students who refuse to read a book, says ELA teacher Jeremy Hyler. “As we look for answers, we have to first understand students today read differently and communicate differently than we did.”
Co-Teaching Teams / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 09/03/2019 · Last modified 07/19/2024
Whether you began the school year weeks ago or you’re just launching, it’s time to consider what you hold most important when you think about a successful co-teaching partnership. Elizabeth Stein shares an experience from her own career that unwrapped three essentials.
Family Engagement / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 09/02/2019 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Middle graders, especially ELs and newcomers eager to blend in, may not want to involve families at school. Yet partnering with families leads to greater achievement, lower absenteeism, and better behavior. EL expert Valentina Gonzalez shares her favorite strategies.
First Days of Math Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 09/01/2019 · Last modified 11/25/2019
From get-acquainted activities like “Superhero registration” to first-week math games like “Four Fours,” teacher Michelle Russell takes readers through the steps of a new plan to start slow, welcome her students individually, and reassure the anxious ones that math can be fun.
By using visual texts, The Art of Comprehension provides a way for nonreaders and striving readers to participate in the same rich, authentic thinking tasks that their reading classmates are doing, even if they have difficulty decoding written words, writes Pam Hamilton.
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/29/2019 · Last modified 01/17/2020
Mindfulness in the Classroom focuses on how to be consciously aware as we introduce SEL principles into an existing curriculum. Author Season Mussey explains SEL, its need and importance, and how to best share its principles with students, writes teacher Shawn Lawn.
How We Read / Teaching with a View
by Brent Gilson · Published 08/28/2019 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Brent Gilson teaches grades 7-9 in rural Alberta. “I’m a believer in balanced literacy, voice and choice, and the need to use literacy studies to help students explore what it means to be human.” In a new blog, Brent details how these ideas shape his yearly reading plan.
Limiting feedback to final drafts means lots of teacher work and little student learning. What if, Sarah Cooper wondered, she could give students enough scaffolding – using an outline organizer and peer response – that their rough drafts included everything she wanted?
