Close Reading the Media / Infographics
by Frank Baker · Published 05/30/2017 · Last modified 11/21/2019
Increasingly information is being conveyed in visual terms, and the flashy graphics can both clarify and mislead. Media literacy expert Frank Baker has teaching ideas to help students think more deeply about the infographics and visual data flooding our brains.
You may not be able to stem the tide of Shiny New Things coming your way, but using Woodson and Frakes’ book you will be able to show which reforms are making a difference in the lives of your students and which are just passing fads, writes teacher Alex Valencic.
Brain Friendly Strategies / end-of-year learning / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 05/16/2017 · Last modified 11/27/2019
Spring is in the air and kids’ attention is fluttering around and beyond the room. Elizabeth Stein shares a bit of timely brain science and offers strategies to help co-teachers bring their students’ attention back to class as the end of school approaches.
“Since many students are in my class multiple times,” writes ELL teacher Wendi Pillars, “I’m always seeking new topics to tie literacy skills together.” This year one theme was “Zero Hunger” through sustainable agriculture. A perfect hook for a unit on eating insects.
Educator James Alan Sturtevant is ready with quick, low cost or free hacks for those days when teachers need to generate curiosity and enthusiasm. His 50 tips and tools are clearly laid out and further explained through individual podcasts, says teacher Linda Biondi.
Research leaves little doubt that strategic use of groups and teams boosts achievement for most students, says teacher educator Curtis Chandler. Learn about the key elements of group work and several digital tools that make forming groups flexible and efficient.
Close Reading the Media / Quick Media Lit Lessons
by Frank Baker · Published 05/01/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Consultant Frank Baker often hears teachers and media specialists raise concerns about the time it takes to facilitate a visual or media literacy lesson. In this post he shares several ideas for 15-minute lesson segments using familiar magazines for kids and adults.
In science educator Anne Jolly’s mind, protests on behalf of science-based policy making are not about partisanship but about protecting jobs and the economy, our children’s health and prosperity, and ultimately our planet. That’s why she joined the March for Science.
If you are looking for ways to connect your classroom or school to parents in nonthreatening, collaborative, and productive ways, you’ll love Alisa Hindin and Mary Mueller’s book, Getting Parents on Board, says teacher/librarian Rita Platt.
Many students over-annotate text to the point where they are noticing everything but not determining what’s MOST important. Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo shares tested strategies to help students detect “the purpose of reading,” including her What’s Important Organizer.
