Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey and Diane Lapp want teachers to use the ideas and advice in Text Complexity “to support every student in becoming more skilled at reading complex texts.” Anne Anderson reports their book will “stretch” both teachers and students!
Articles / It's Not Easy Being Tween / Whole Novels / Whole Novels
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 04/17/2016 · Last modified 07/07/2024
Whole-class novel study is one curricular tradition that’s taken a huge beating in the last several years, writes ELA teacher Cheryl Mizerny. But not in her classroom, where Cheryl works to balance indepth novel study with student book choice and read-alouds.
Writing comes alive in Paula Bourque’s book “Close Writing: Developing Purposeful Writers.” Bourque supports her strategies for engaging youngsters in writing, revising and editing with classroom stories, study guides, and videos, says teacher Linda Biondi.
When students struggle to write coherent essays or can’t explain their evidence well enough, it often boils down to this: they need help learning to build strong paragraphs. Literacy expert Sarah Tantillo takes us step by step through her construction process.
History in Fiction / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 04/04/2016 · Last modified 12/01/2019
Kevin Hodgson’s 6th graders learn about church bombings as he reads from The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. The students also explore primary sources and write about children in the Civil Rights movement to begin to understand bravery in the face of racism.
After a decade of forgoing the activity, Sarah Cooper recently revisited hand-drawn concept maps as a means to further engage her 8th graders in US reform movements. Here she shares ideas she’ll use to deepen the successful assignment next time.
Recent research finds that hesitant adolescent writers seldom respond positively to mentor texts by “stellar” peers. Instead, poet and educator Sara Holbrook suggests a co-creation framework that scaffolds the student writing process in a collaborative poetry workshop setting.
Where does humor fit into the classroom? Just about anywhere! Check out these refreshed resources on why humor works, how to share it, and where to find it. Funny math, ELA, social studies, and science resources abound.
Engineering Career Preparation / STEM By Design
by Anne Jolly · Published 03/29/2016 · Last modified 08/28/2024
The sky’s the limit for students pursuing engineering careers. Anne Jolly offers STEM educators Q&As they can share with middle graders who’d like to investigate engineering’s possibilities. Jolly highlights creativity, teamwork, making a difference and more.
Effective group work sparks student engagement and builds communication skills for the future. But how do teachers structure teamwork activities so kids are cooperative and everyone learns? Instructional expert Barbara Blackburn offers a step-by-step blueprint.
