Book Reviews / English Language Learners
by MiddleWeb · Published 05/31/2018 · Last modified 11/22/2019
The ELL Teacher’s Toolbox is all meat with 400+ pages of teaching tactics, techniques, and methods, organized for use by ELL teachers and their colleagues across content areas. Educator Rita Platt says the book’s high impact strategies are perfect for summer PD.
Summer Slide / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 05/27/2018 · Last modified 12/01/2019
One way to counter summer slide is to provide easily accessible books. Public libraries are great but many kids can’t get to them. Valentina Gonzalez describes the challenges facing ELLs and other kids and suggests ways to make school libraries available over the break.
In the 2nd edition of Fair Isn’t Always Equal Rick Wormeli employs patience and innovation along with multiple examples across disciplines and grade levels to explain how assessment works in differentiated classrooms, writes teacher Jennifer Randall. Essential reading!
Teaching students to eagerly revise their first drafts is “the Mt. Everest of writing instruction,” says renowned author Ruth Culham. The originator of the 6+1 Writing Traits program argues convincingly that revision must be the primary focus of the writing curriculum.
Kids on the Cusp / Teacher Evaluation
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 05/06/2018 · Last modified 12/04/2019
Mary Tarashuk just finished a required teacher self-assessment, using a large array of rubrics designed for her state by a former principal and leadership consultant. It has her wondering if top education and corporate leaders might benefit from a rubric, too? She offers a 1st draft.
Encouraging Quality / Heart of the School
by Rita Platt · Published 04/30/2018 · Last modified 12/01/2019
There is a growing flood of poor quality work being turned in by students. How can teachers turn the tide on rushed assignments filled with errors and unclear thinking? Teacher and soon-to-be principal Rita Platt shares her strategies for encouraging excellent writing.
Two Teachers in the Room by Elizabeth Stein explores how co-teachers can work together as effective partners to best serve all their students. Elizabeth OBrien recommends the book for people new to co-teaching and as a key resource in professional development settings.
In an age of fake news and the dismissal of science, teaching students to conduct research provides them with a critical skill. In “It’s a Matter of Fact,” teacher librarian Angie Miller shows how students across content areas can focus on a thesis and master resources.
During the barrage of mandatory assessments each spring, it can be tempting to “decide to do very little with our students” between tests, says Curtis Chandler. But why not make every minute count? Teachers can do just that with these engaging cross-curricular activities.
If we expect students to achieve mastery, teaching consultant Rick Wormeli says, we must provide helpful feedback, document progress, and inform our instructional decisions with pertinent performance data. Yet many conventional grading practices render our data useless.
