As the new school year approaches, explore a selection of digital tools recommended by teacher educator Curtis Chandler that can help you streamline lesson planning, create secure class websites, connect with families, and gather information on how your new students like to learn.
Future of History / Learning Spaces
by Sarah Cooper · Published 07/30/2017 · Last modified 12/05/2019
Amid a near-universal celebration of collaborative, interactive work as a 21st century reality and ideal, teacher Sarah Cooper investigates something we so often forget in our classrooms and our schools: the need for quiet space and the challenges of achieving it.
Writers get better by writing, says author and ELA teacher Marilyn Pryle. “It’s our job to have students write regularly, genuinely, and with ownership.” She shares three fun writing tasks (including directions, a model and a prewrite activity) that get the job done!
Drawing on his research experiences in the Journey through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, nationally recognized educator James A. Percoco leads history teachers through the techniques of place-based learning to bring the American story alive for students.
The free education site CommonLit has created nearly 1000 document-based lesson plans and a growing collection of differentiated nonfiction text sets. Rob Fleisher, the non-profit’s director of school partnerships, shares some creative ways to tap these rich resources.
Children's Books / The Science Lady
by Kathy Renfrew · Published 07/24/2017 · Last modified 11/27/2019
Kathy Renfrew, The Science Lady, is launching a new science blog at MiddleWeb. In her first entry she shares some favorite selections from the National Science Teacher Association’s Outstanding Books collection and how they might be used to begin the school year.
The School Climate Solution serves as a blueprint for increasing positive climate from the classroom to the staff room, says reviewer Rita Platt. Jonathan Erwin provides practical guidelines for building a safe environment where relationships and SEL foster learning.
Close Reading the Media / Tobacco Advertising
by Frank Baker · Published 07/18/2017 · Last modified 11/26/2019
What works to discourage adolescents from smoking? Media literacy expert Frank Baker suggests taking on Big Tobacco’s pervasive and persuasive marketing tactics, involving students in creating their own anti-tobacco ads. Baker provides the background and resources.
Every school has unique procedures, traditions, and personalities. What if new and transitioning teachers, starting fresh in an unfamiliar space, had a checklist to make induction easy and systematic? Author-consultant Frank Buck supplies that tool!
Donna Spangler and John Alex Mazzante have “a keen understanding of a language student’s need for frequent changes, movement, playfulness, collaboration, and gentle competition,” says Spanish teacher Jane Swisher, noting this “gem of a book” is easily adaptable.
