Combining anecdotes, research and common sense, school psychologist Ben Springer walks you through what doesn’t work and what you can try instead when you encounter aggressive behavior in students. Alex Valencic recommends reading about the author’s happy kid formula now.
Class Apps / Communication Skills
by Curtis Chandler · Published 10/14/2018 · Last modified 11/26/2019
Texting isn’t talking. With so much digital communication among students, Curtis Chandler wants to be sure they can also speak, listen and make eye contact with others, skills they need now and in the future. He has ideas and tools for bridging the communications gap.
No matter your content area or whether your students are in special ed, AP, or ELL classes, Mary Tedrow’s Write Think Learn can help you implement a daily writing program. A “must read” says consultant Anne Anderson and a rich source of practical ideas and activities.
Close Reading the Media / Literacy and Film
by MiddleWeb · Published 09/19/2018 · Last modified 09/02/2020
Media literacy expert Frank Baker participated in an August conference to introduce educators to a major new curriculum from Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation – “Portraits of America: Democracy on Film” – which will be available free to educators. Here’s his report.
The Literacy Quick Guide by popular experts Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell is a good planning resource for the busy teacher who does not have much time to read lengthy explanations and theory. Teacher Stacy Thorpe provides a detailed overview of the PreK-8 resource.
In Super Spellers, Mark Weakland offers a “transformative path” to move away from memorizing 20 words weekly toward a developmental approach that provides students with strategies to become more proficient spellers, readers and writers, says Kathleen Palmieri.
Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Sypnieski often ask their ELL students to make short oral presentations to a group or a partner “because it is more practical, time efficient, and energizing for students.” The four ideas shared here are easily adapted to any class or subject.
Summer Slide / The Unstoppable ML Teacher
by Valentina Gonzalez · Published 05/27/2018 · Last modified 12/01/2019
One way to counter summer slide is to provide easily accessible books. Public libraries are great but many kids can’t get to them. Valentina Gonzalez describes the challenges facing ELLs and other kids and suggests ways to make school libraries available over the break.
Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Sypnieski provide ELL students the chance to read high-interest books independently. Literary conversations help ELLs interact with the texts, creating a classroom culture of shared literacy. The co-authors share six creative activities.
English teacher David Slater identifies school reform ideas that he believes are wrong-headed or frequently misapplied, leading to ineffective education across the country. Retired educator Mary Langer Thompson agrees with some of his solutions but finds others lacking.
