Dina Strasser shares ‘a small bit’ about why she changed her blog title to I Will Screw This Up, has some news about a big celebration in the world of awards, and offers some reflection on a book by a Canadian SF/fantasy author you might not yet have in your YA collection.
I Will Screw This Up / Remote Teaching
by Dina Strasser · Published 04/20/2020 · Last modified 09/03/2020
“Covid-19 is a red contrast dye,” writes Dina Strasser. “Dumped into the cauldron of schools, it shows us the cracks and flaws that were already there.” Even so, as her students slowly figure out their tech, “they are coming alive to me and for me in ways I never could have predicted.”
In Writing, Redefined Shawna Coppola proposes alternatives (comics, podcasts, etc.) to traditional writing assignments to welcome the students who aren’t drawn to essays and book reviews. Literacy coach Pam Hamilton likes the ideas but wonders if teachers are ready for them.
“Imperative means the same thing as important, so why can’t we just say important?” asked Adele, a student in Lauren Brown’s US history class. How do we help kids learn the academic vocabulary they need to enrich writing and deepen understanding? Brown means to find out.
Looking for more ways to have your kids “speak” to real audiences beyond your classroom? NBCT Marilyn Pryle, the 2019-20 Pennsylvania TOY, describes how she added community displays and a Vocaroo/QR code strategy to one of her major ELA projects. Student handout included!
Inquiry-Based Lessons in World History is a practical set of adaptable lesson plans and ideas starting with early humans. The book is ready for the classroom. Social studies teacher Stephanie Gilbert recommends the book to fellow history teachers.
Class environment, student attitude toward writing, student choice, and teachers who write with kids are overarching themes that help to make Welcome to Writing Workshop a good resource for creating a productive writing program, says 5th grade teacher Kathleen Palmieri.
In their sequel to “Making Number Talks Matter,” Ruth Parker and Cathy Humphreys go deeper and include videos of real students. They thoroughly explain the how and why of Number Talks and suggest updates to their method, writes math and algebra teacher Michael Hernandez.
In “The Art of Comprehension: Exploring Visual Texts to Foster Comprehension, Conversation and Confidence” Trevor Andrew Bryan shows how to help readers learn more about visual texts through a series of frameworks. This strategy sets the stage for students to learn more about how to approach complex stories, fiction and non-fiction, writes sixth grade teacher Kevin Hodgson.
Want to help middle school students improve their reading skills? Mark Weakland suggests providing direct and explicit spelling instruction. Emphasizing syllables – roots and affixes – offers lots of building blocks for students. Weakland includes differentiation tips and activity ideas.
