Scaffolds / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 10/08/2017 · Last modified 02/13/2024
If we provide scaffolds for the students who need it – especially ELLs who represent so many different backgrounds – we can promote independent learning. Valentina Gonzalez offers five easy-to-implement strategies to help make lessons ELL-friendly in any content area.
Shirley McPhillips’ non-traditional book about teaching poetry is both insightful and fun to read, says retired principal and former California senior poet laureate Mary Langer Thompson. She predicts teachers will not be able to read for long without writing poetry themselves.
In the 2nd edition of Joyful Learning, Alice Udvari-Solner and Paula Kluth provide a great resource to promote teacher collaboration and move inclusion classrooms beyond the superficial and toward more meaningful engagement of every student, says Erin Corrigan-Smith.
Reading is reinforced when students have hands-on experience with the ideas they find in informational texts. ELA teacher Brian Cook’s after-school drones program helps students explore flight, consider privacy and safety issues, and learn more about new careers.
Engagement / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 10/02/2017 · Last modified 11/13/2019
Emotions are a natural part of learning, writes co-teaching coach and NBCT Elizabeth Stein. In fact, she says, when teachers in inclusion classrooms tap into emotions and provide quality feedback, they’ll find they’re better able to serve diverse learners effectively.
Debbie Silver’s worst mistake? She managed to teach middle level science classes for too many years without ever fully embracing the practice of pre-assessment. See how her teaching changed and how yours might too with her simple go-to pre-assessment tools.
Close Reading the Media / News Literacy
by Frank Baker · Published 09/26/2017 · Last modified 11/16/2019
No one knows for sure whether there will be actual war with North Korea, but talk about the potential conflict abounds on TV and in social media. Media literacy expert Frank W. Baker calls on teachers to help students learn how to identify trustworthy news sources now.
Future of History / History and Spoken Poetry
by Sarah Cooper · Published 09/24/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
History teacher Sarah Cooper is enthusiastically barreling into the year with a totally untried project. It asks eighth graders to research a current issue in the news that they’re passionate about, then write and film their own spoken word poem. What could go wrong?
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/21/2017 · Last modified 11/17/2019
Debbie Silver and Dedra Stafford offer a detailed look at social-emotional learning in Teaching Kids to Thrive. Veteran teacher David Bever finds the up-to-the-minute research coupled with extensive strategies a winning combination for boosting SEL practice.
Excited about Science / The Science Lady
by Kathy Renfrew · Published 09/20/2017 · Last modified 12/01/2019
What can science teachers do in the first weeks of school to get students intrigued, energized, and focused on science studies all year long? Using an NGSS framework, veteran middle grades teacher and science specialist Kathy Renfrew shares some of her favorite ideas.
