Four years after becoming an instructional coach, Elena Aguilar once again found herself in front of a class of 8th graders, looking for trusting relationships. “Within just five minutes, I was humbled. Who did I think I was that I could incur their trust that fast? I wanted to bow down to the teacher—Oh, yes, this is so hard.”
Closing the Achievement Gap / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 04/03/2013 · Last modified 11/18/2019
Elizabeth Stein & assistant principal Paul McNeil consider personal, classroom, and school strategies that can help close achievement gaps for students with disabilities, including peer tutoring and support for high expectations. It takes a team approach, and it takes time and patience.
The Collected Writings (So Far) of Rick Wormeli: Crazy Good Stuff I’ve Learned About Teaching Along the Way is a major collection of the author’s columns and articles on middle grades teaching practice and is indeed “crazy good stuff,” says reviewer Elizabeth Stein.
Articles / Common Core / Digital Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 01/20/2013 · Last modified 11/23/2019
Techie teaching consultant Mike Fisher shares ideas about upgrading your ELA curriculum lessons to better meet Common Core standards and objectives, using cool digital tools like Picktochart, Smore and Yapp.
Engaging students in creating and analyzing images & films is a key step in developing an important 21st century skill, says media literacy consultant Frank Baker.
STEM By Design / Teacher Preparation
by Anne Jolly · Published 12/16/2012 · Last modified 05/25/2024
Providing STEM students with real-world problems fuels their curiosity & investigative interests. But where do teachers find problems worthy of investigation?
Fully aligned with CCSS, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8 is valuable resource for all 6-8 teachers, says reviewer Linda Biondi. The book offers well-researched, fully developed lesson plans.
STEM By Design / STEM for All Students
by Anne Jolly · Published 10/20/2012 · Last modified 11/16/2019
The school success that students from low-income families gain from hands-on STEM experiences can build confidence, self-esteem & more academic success.
In Amy Benjamin’s Math in Plain English: Literacy Strategies for the Mathematics Classroom, says reviewer Shelly Sims, there’s finally a book combining literacy strategies with what we know about math thinking and problem-solving.
Teach Like a Champion Field Guide: A Practical Resource to Make the 49 Techniques Your Own by Doug Lemov provides new and useful information “to refresh my classroom teaching,” says reviewer Susan Shaver.
