Educator Sarah Cooper finds herself gravitating to teaching books that call our social consciences awake, as Sara K. Ahmed’s Being the Change does as it asks teachers to be even more human in the classroom and thus impel your students to share their humanity with you.
Once again it’s fall and the read-aloud rug in Mary Tarashuk’s 4T classroom is drawing new kids and characters closer together. First up: Fish in a Tree’s Ally Nickerson. Coming soon, another Global Read Aloud choice, Amal Unbound. Two girls with differences to share.
Whatever you know, sharing it outside school walls can inform policymakers, journalists, the public, other teachers, researchers, and professors – who can use your classroom discoveries to better serve students. Educator and writer Jenny Grant Rankin shows how.
Future of History / Teaching strategies
by Lauren S. Brown · Published 11/05/2018 · Last modified 11/16/2019
Lesson plan improvement notes written a year ago may not be as useful as you now wish they were. That’s what Lauren Brown discovered when she tried to decipher scribbled comments on materials from last fall. Learn some of her ideas to lessen the need for total recall.
Matthew Kay’s Not Light, But Fire is a thought-provoking book that challenges teachers to move beyond typical classroom conversations to help students understand how to discuss difficult topics such as race. Teacher Laura Von Staden says the risks are worth the growth.
One of the most common concerns Sarah Tantillo hears from ELA teachers is “I want to teach grammar, but I’m not sure how to fit it in.” Her new MiddleWeb post explains a systematic approach that blends grammar into narrative reading and writing classes, day by day.
Meaningful Math / Online Resources
by Michelle Russell · Published 10/29/2018 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Michelle Russell is always looking for new resources for her math classes. But before she spends time incorporating new tools, she wants to know what the resources can do. Here she shares what she and her students think of two online math platforms – IXL and Delta Math.
International Mindedness / Wide Open Learning
by Megan Kelly · Published 10/28/2018 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Having taught internationally since 2003, Megan Kelly loves to share her experience and enthusiasm with her students in hope they’ll become more globally minded and curious people. Here she shares strategies she uses in her classroom to open the world up to middle graders.
Co-teaching Conversations / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 10/23/2018 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Co-teaching and UDL coach Elizabeth Stein has found a tool that has the potential to break down communication barriers that get in the way of what co-teachers really need to do. She recommends the Four A’s Text Protocol to energize co-teacher dialogue and collaboration.
Could this be the year our students begin to discover their all-time favorite books? Jennifer Serravallo, literacy consultant and bestselling author of The Reading Strategies Book, shares 10 “back pocket” techniques that can help teachers match kids with great stories.
