Book Review Festival / Book Reviews / MiddleWeb
by John Norton · Published 10/04/2012 · Last modified 07/19/2023
Our Fall Book Review Festival features 15 brand-new reviews of professional books – each one written by and for middle grades educators – on teaching strategies, visual & media literacy, test preparation, the Common Core, academic icebreakers, RTI & special education, social studies, mathematics, teacher research, ESL students, and student motivation.
Bill Bigelow’s teacher-friendly book, The Line Between Us: Teaching About the Border and Mexican Immigration, offers concrete strategies & teaching resources to help students understand immigration and globalization issues, says reviewer Kelly Moser.
Special ed teacher Laura Von Staden, mom of two children with ADHD, says this otherwise useful book, The Energetic Brain: Understanding and Managing ADHD, lacks the detail about specific interventions teachers need.
Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/28/2012 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Minding the Achievement Gap One Classroom at a Time by Jane E. Pollock, Sharon M. Ford and Margaret M. Black is a great resource for implementing Classroom Instruction That Works strategies for ESL/ELL students, says ESL teacher Julie Dermody.
Judy Willis, a neurologist & middle grades teacher, says we can help adolescents build happy, learning brains through interactive, interdependent group work.
Cindi Rigsbee & Laurie Wasserman each reviewed Heather Wolpert-Gawron’s ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers, a middle school teaching guide. The two teachers drew the same conclusion: funny & full of great ideas.
MiddleWeb Classics / Parent Connections
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/31/2012 · Last modified 07/18/2024
The Million Words activity can be a wonderful way to connect with parents – if it’s done right. This MiddleWeb Classic conversation includes all you need to know to strengthen your connections with parents and guardians with care as well as enthusiasm.
“Together Teacher” Maia Heyck-Merlin has organizational ideas for teachers in stationary and rotating classrooms and teachers who travel from room to room.
In our second review of The Together Teacher, popular blogger Ariel Sacks says the organizational advice from Maia Heyck-Merlin suits her busy but Type B teacher-leader life.
Middle school teacher Marsha Ratzel wants parents to know exactly what their children can expect in her classroom: challenge, support and concern.
