In Enticing Hard-To-Reach Writers, Ruth Ayres offers wide ranging ideas and resources to help all students become writers because “when writers believe their words matter, nothing can stop them.” We begin, reviewer Mary Langer Thompson notes, by getting our hearts right.
Messaging Matters provides practical notions and step-by-step models to strengthen communication and build a positive culture with your students, parents, and community. And you can implement them almost immediately, writes school counselor Wendy Adams.
Teaching Mistakes / Working Draft
by Kevin Hodgson · Published 02/19/2018 · Last modified 12/14/2019
Kevin Hodgson remembers vividly the day when what seemed like a fantastic new idea for exploring word origins with his 6th graders fell apart rather quickly and left him in a panic. He shares this and other memorable missteps over the years – and some lessons learned.
Book Reviews / Passion Based Learning
by MiddleWeb · Published 02/15/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
In “The Passion-Driven Classroom: A Framework for Teaching and Learning” Angela Maiers and Amy Sandvold provide an inspiring and practical resource for educators who embrace or want to explore the student-centered focus of passion-based learning, says Jacie Maslyk.
Photos, zipper baggie quilts, stick puppets, story time capsules and more – all add to the learning in Simmons and Guinn’s collection of hands-on activities for kids in K-5. Educator Elizabeth OBrien says activities can be easily adapted from one subject area to another.
Close Reading the Media / Media Literacy & History
by Frank Baker · Published 02/13/2018 · Last modified 11/17/2019
The tumultuous and difficult year of 1968 is getting lots of media attention during 2018 because it marks the 50th anniversary of so many newsworthy events in America. Media literacy expert Frank Baker says the anniversary focus offers many teaching opportunities.
Great educators don’t exist in a vacuum. More often than not they are supported by loved ones who also play a part in the accomplishment of a teacher’s daily miracles. Consultant Debbie Silver describes how spouses, children, and parents share in the teaching life.
Math Dislike / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 02/04/2018 · Last modified 11/22/2019
When Michelle Russell began teaching, she was always surprised when students said they didn’t like math. She’s not surprised any longer. After considering some of the roadblocks to loving math, she shares the goals she’s established to help reach more of her students.
In Digital Portfolios in the Classroom, personal anecdotes, discussions of technological tools, and interviews with educators who use a portfolio system provide a multifaceted picture of the benefits and possibilities of this student-centered approach to assessment.
Difficult Topics / Kids on the Cusp
by Mary Tarashuk · Published 01/30/2018 · Last modified 11/25/2019
Middle grades teacher Mary Tarashuk confronts the line between preserving childhood innocence and honestly exploring the real world. Are her sudden tears during the daily real aloud of The One and Only Ivan encroaching uncomfortably on that unidentifiable boundary?
