Sarah Tweaks Her Socratic Seminar Recipe
Sarah Tantillo's MiddleWeb post, Socratic Seminars in the Middle, has racked up tens of thousands of visits. Now Sarah, author of The Literacy Cookbook, is back with a tweak to her recipe, suggested by...
View ArticleA Good Learning Model for New Teachers
Author and literacy consultant Regie Routman is a passionate cook who loves to make fresh fruit tarts. Here she draws connections between learning to bake and learning to teach, using her Optimal...
View ArticleExploding the Reading to Increase Comprehension
Teachers in K-12 will find lots to use among David W. Booth's strategies for increasing comprehension. Based in his research, Booth's focus is on 10 modes for understanding texts. His lessons...
View ArticleIdeas to Involve Parents in Boosting Literacy
Written from the experiences of two veteran teachers, Empowering Families is the most useful guide in promoting student literacy at home that 4th grade teacher Alex T. Valencic has ever come across. He...
View ArticleReading Wellness for Students and Teachers
Reading Wellness makes teacher Linda Biondi want to "take a risk in teaching literacy, get out of my comfort zone, collaborate with my colleagues, and bring the joy of reading to all my students - and...
View ArticleUnlock Learning by Improving Oral Fluency
Of all the ways educators can improve learning in their classrooms, "the Number 1 way is to strengthen students’ speaking and listening skills and habits," writes teaching coach and literacy expert...
View Article12 Ways to Get Students Speaking & Listening
Sarah Tantillo is back with 12 techniques that mid-grades teachers across the curriculum can use to help their students develop the habits of speaking and listening that most contribute to learning....
View ArticleLiteracy Learning Still Begins with Story
Katie Egan Cunningham stresses the importance of caring for our students’ stories even as we explore fiction and story-making with them. Reviewer Mary Langer Thompson highly recommends the book for its...
View ArticleCreate Your Own Visual Tools for Literacy
DIY Literacy by Kate and Maggie Roberts is not only a how-to book on designing visual learning tools but also a source of advice on implementing them in the classroom. It has just what lead teacher...
View Article184 Ways to Teach Writing with Mentor Texts
With 184 lessons building on Writers Workshop principles, Stacey Shubitz provides guidance in mentor-text-based literacy instruction that can result in independent and proficient writers. Linda Biondi...
View ArticleA Rich Literacy Plan for Well-Resourced Parents
Margaret Mary Policastro provides solid background on best practices for home literacy, says reading specialist Judy Harris. But Harris finds the book short on good advice for families that lack the...
View ArticleHow Do We Share the Work of Content Literacy?
More and more, state and national standards call on all educators to become "teachers of literacy." ELA teacher Kevin Hodgson shares how he and his 6th grade colleagues in science, social studies and...
View ArticleDIY Literacy Tools for Blended Learning
In her blended classroom, reviewer Nicolette Lesniak finds the tools included in DIY Literacy – demonstration notebooks, teaching charts and visual note taking – help students recall what was taught...
View Article5 Hacks Can Help Create a Culture of Readers
Gerard Dawson packs his brief book about literacy with hacks (fixes) to implement immediately and have a positive impact on classroom reading culture, says educator Laura Von Staden. He includes five...
View ArticleGet Parents on Board for Math & Literacy
If you are looking for ways to connect your classroom or school to parents in nonthreatening, collaborative, and productive ways, you’ll love Alisa Hindin and Mary Mueller’s book, Getting Parents on...
View ArticleLeading with Focus Will Improve Schools
Emphasizing content-rich curriculum, traditional literacy activities, and soundly structured lessons, Mike Schmoker's "Leading with Focus" provides a guide for teacher leaders, principals, and others...
View ArticleEdible Bugs! Wendi Pillar’s Engaging ELL Unit
"Since many students are in my class multiple times," writes ELL teacher Wendi Pillars, "I'm always seeking new topics to tie literacy skills together." This year one theme was "Zero Hunger" through...
View ArticleVisible Learning Tools to Teach Literacy Effectively
Sixth grade ELA and social studies teacher Kathee Lamberies expects she will be using Teaching Literacy in the Visible Learning Classroom from Fisher, Frey, Hattie and Thayre and tabbing its pages for...
View ArticleUsing Film To Teach Reading and Literacy
Film, video and television media are powerful engagement tools for literacy teachers. Author and media consultant Frank W. Baker shares lots of ideas about using screenplays, closed captioning, and...
View ArticleTreating Your Classroom Like “Prime Real Estate”
Self-check classroom and school "real estate" to make sure you're organized to showcase, celebrate, and convey messages and content that invite all learners to joyfully learn more, writes author Regie...
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