In “The Writing Strategies Book” Jennifer Serravallo has pulled together 300 useful writing strategies and lessons, coordinated by grade, genre, and point in the writing process. Serravallo’s well-organized and easy-to-use resource is sure to come in handy right away, says reviewer Kevin Hodgson.
Assessment / The Flexible Classroom
by Amber Chandler · Published 01/08/2017 · Last modified 11/24/2019
Amber Chandler is pondering testing. Not big league, high stakes exams but the run of the mill end-of-unit kind. When 20 percent of her students stumble over literary terms on The Giver unit test, she opts for a flexible (but controversial) “point buy-back” offer.
Helping students believe in themselves is a critical part of teaching. Consultant Barbara Blackburn shares strategies to help encourage students to reach beyond the limitations they sometimes feel and pursue their dreams. One idea: Write a personal “theme song.”
Weber, Crane and Hierck provide many charts, examples and resources that can be instantly adopted, adapted, or enhanced for a school or district RTI process in middle school math. Instructional coach and interventionist Kim Schneider offers her highest praise.
When students blend multimedia elements into their writing projects, interest and engagement can zoom up, writes teacher-author Sean Ruday. Ruday highlights a five-step process he uses in PD workshops to help teachers make the tech meaningful and not maddening.
Meaningful Math / Student-Teacher Connections
by Michelle Russell · Published 01/02/2017 · Last modified 12/11/2019
As Michelle Russell revisits her start-of-school teaching goals, she decides to focus the New Year on building deeper connections with her students. Her strategies: use personal surveys and follow-up chats; glean more from parents, and confer to set challenge goals.
Social Justice / Two Teachers in the Room
by Elizabeth Stein · Published 12/27/2016 · Last modified 11/13/2019
It’s time, writes teaching coach Elizabeth Stein, for co-teachers to take a strong, visible and audible stance on behalf of those students “who have been on your mind every day since school began.” Co-teachers need to become social justice leaders in the classroom.
Before middle school students can become lovers of stories and savvy assessors of fake news and false claims, they must be creative readers who comprehend texts at high levels and empathize with characters and people, says literacy expert and advocate Laura Robb.
Some teaching practices help strengthen students’ self-efficacy, motivation and confidence, while others create learned helplessness. Author-consultant Sarah Tantillo identifies 17 common teaching actions that lead to student inertia and offers better alternatives.
Book Reviews / Social & Emotional Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 12/15/2016 · Last modified 11/25/2019
I, Me, You, We: Individuality Versus Conformity offers teachers intellectually challenging ELA and arts lessons for gifted middle schoolers. Educator Amy Cummings saw less emphasis on self understanding than expected but found almost unlimited ideas for her classroom.
