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.
Maddie Witter, author of Reading Without Limits, shares six kid-friendly strategies that can boost reading engagement in the middle grades.
Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli, the co-authors of Poetry Mentor Texts: Making Reading and Writing Connections, K-8, have provided another “must have” resource for teachers of all disciplines – even poetry haters – says reviewer Linda Biondi.
The Advisory Book: Building a Community of Learners (2nd Edition) by Linda Crawford is an excellent resource for specific ideas & activities as well as the research that supports Advisory, says teacher educator Amanda Wall.
How to turn science, tech, engineering & math into problem- & project-based activities that simulate real-world R&D? Find the basics & the practice here.
When students feel they “belong” in school, they are more likely to thrive academically, socially & emotionally, says veteran teacher turned teacher educator Amanda Wall. She details actions that middle level schools can take to assure students are supported, including quality Advisory programs.
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.
