Every school has unique procedures, traditions, and personalities. What if new and transitioning teachers, starting fresh in an unfamiliar space, had a checklist to make induction easy and systematic? Author-consultant Frank Buck supplies that tool!
This year Curtis Chandler’s son set a new one-week record for announcing he was bored by summer. How do we encourage kids to take a break from school, but not from learning? Chandler shares online resources across subject areas to spur some vigorous brain activity.
Book Reviews / Professional Development
by MiddleWeb · Published 07/06/2017 · Last modified 02/03/2019
The High-Trust Classroom by Lonnie Moore is a step-by-step guide to personal and professional fulfillment, says educator Laura Von Staden, adding the book is a quick read, broken into easy chunks that lay out each of the 25 essential qualities of great teachers.
Laurie Lichtenstein can’t let the school year end without thanking Lin Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton for his profound effect on her 7th grade American history class. Her open letter to the Founding Father shares her students’ new excitement for history’s unfolding drama.
To help students be ready for the challenges of their digital connections, infrequent workshops at school aren’t enough. Media educator and producer Diana Graber outlines what kids need to know and how to provide the curriculum to build competence and protect futures.
The Flexible Classroom / Year End Reflection
by Amber Chandler · Published 06/25/2017 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Amid the mix of emotions and preoccupations that crowd end-of-year school days, Amber Chandler takes time to discover how her 8th graders ranked her five major ELA units this year. What they think will help her prepare for next fall. Once she returns from the lake!
Do teachers always need to be the tour guide and plan every step of the learning journey? Consultant Gravity Goldberg believes teachers can also be co-explorers and create opportunities for students to make their own discoveries. Her sample reading unit shows how.
Meaningful Math / Year End Reflection
by Michelle Russell · Published 06/18/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
With her classroom door closed for summer, Michelle Russell looks back at the goals she set 9 months ago: to know her students in a meaningful way, to use formative assessment effectively, and to bring more joy to her classes. She shares her successes and some fails.
How can teachers use brain-friendly strategies to help students encode, store and retrieve vocabulary words? Educator and author Marilee Sprenger shares some high-interest activities designed for each stage of learning academic words. Some just require a few minutes!
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 06/08/2017 · Last modified 11/12/2019
Carla Tantillo Philibert’s Everyday SEL in Elementary School gives inspiring, practical advice and lessons to help educators in classrooms and schoolwide meet their students’ social and emotional needs, says upper elementary teacher Linda Biondi.
