Close Reading the Media is an incredible resource for middle or high school humanities teachers teaching students how to think critically about the media, writes teacher Stephanie Leary, noting it is packed with informative, fun, and thought-provoking topics and ideas.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 08/07/2019 · Last modified 11/20/2019
With the 2020 election underway fake news and deceptive social media posts and imagery are expected to become commonplace. Media literacy expert Frank Baker offers a lesson to help our always-connected students acquire some of the “healthy skepticism” skills they’ll need.
If you value student discussion, Not Light, But Fire is for you. If you value students working through big issues, this book is for you, too. Teacher Andrea Clark finds something usable and important for teachers of all grades in Matthew Kay’s thoughtful, engaging book.
When middle schools see afterschool programs as partners, they help keep kids safe, inspire them to learn, and give parents peace of mind, says Jodi Grant, CEO of Afterschool Alliance. The value added to students’ academic and social-emotional growth may surprise you!
Browse our top 10 posts since January 1. Topics include fair grading, dyslexia, teaching ELLs academic vocabulary, connecting with students, teacher buy-in, and SEL for MS’ers. Plus, practical tips on quick-writes, class starters, and “helping students remember stuff.”
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.
Ad Techniques / Close Reading the Media
by Frank Baker · Published 06/30/2019 · Last modified 12/02/2019
In the hope that we can help students become better critical thinkers in a world saturated by social media and unreliable sources, media literacy expert Frank Baker calls attention to techniques used by “media manipulators” to persuade consumers and shape public discourse.
Beyond sharing titles, librarians Christina Dorr and Liz Deskins discuss justifications for circulating LGBTQAI+ literature to children and teens and share a brief history and approaches to “dealing with objections.” Sarah Cooper found ideas for her own classroom library.
Educator Joanne Bell was attracted to The ADHD Empowerment Guide because the authors focus on students’ strengths and potential – not just problems and comorbidities. The resource-filled book details how an analysis of strengths can be used to help kids facing ADHD challenges.
Grading Practices / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 06/17/2019 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Even if we don’t yet teach in a grade-less utopia, there are steps teachers can take to become more accurate and equitable in our grading policies. Cheryl Mizerny shares steps toward fairer grading: eliminate zeroes, avoid extra points, don’t grade homework, and more.
