Professional community / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 12/17/2014 · Last modified 11/16/2019
When Kevin Hodgson shared a heartfelt reflection with the Slice of Life teacher writing community, the supportive and encouraging comments he received from online colleagues “were like lifelines to me.” He highly recommends the Tuesday writing activity.
Want to improve relationships between families and school? Teachers benefit when learning is reinforced and supported from home. Consultant Barbara Blackburn has tips on how to PAIR with parents and avoid school-side mistakes that weaken engagement.
Learning to code is an important new literacy. But how, wonders edtech coach Emily Vickery, do we close the opportunity gap between those who have access to coding instruction and those who don’t? Vickery suggests some resources that can help less advantaged students cross the divide.
Literacy expert Laura Robb offers her research-based argument for refocusing American school reform on strategies to strengthen support for teachers and promote opportunities for all children to become creative, divergent thinkers and problem solvers.
Teachers in grades 3-5 will treasure The Common Core Companion: The Standards Decoded by Leslie Blauman with Jim Burke. The content, the layout and the companion website make clear what the standards say, what they mean, and how to use them.
The ‘T’ in STEM manifests in many ways, says science educator Anne Jolly. One new trend, coming rapidly to the fore, is writing program code. In this post Anne shares some coding ideas she and teacher Emily Vickery have brainstormed for STEM classes.
Book Reviews / Common Core State Standards
by MiddleWeb · Published 08/25/2014 · Last modified 12/02/2019
Sean Ruday tackles some of the more challenging grades 6-8 ELA standards, giving detailed explanations using mentor texts in mini-lessons to gradually build student understanding, says reviewer Rebecca Crockett. He has also written for grades 3-5.
Students benefit from reading independently if specific conditions are in place. In No More Independent Reading Without Support Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss share research-based strategies to enhance classroom practice and student learning.
The Nonfiction NOW Lesson Bank (Grades 4-8): Strategies and Routines for Higher-Level Comprehension in the Content Areas by Nancy Akhavan delivers everything the title promises and more, raves reviewer Linda Biondi. Plus 50 lessons and 5 close reading ideas, ready to use.
New to the STEM classroom? Returning for another year of STEM when fall arrives? Either way, summer is the ideal time to wrap your head around what you’ll be doing. Try some of Anne Jolly’s suggestions for what you can do in July!
