Exploring the five plagues of complex text. One of the most important aspects of teaching literacy in the classroom is text selection, the process by which teachers choose what their students will read. For many teachers, text selection boils down to choosing something that will engage students and motivate them to read. Reasonable diversity in
Meeting new science standards can be hard for students who struggle with reading and writing. How do you teach the new science standards to students who struggle with reading and writing? Many middle school science teachers face this dilemma, which is especially challenging for science educators at my school. Like many urban schools across the
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Literature circles bring reading to life for these sixth graders. What did we just read? I am so bored! Why are we reading this? What’s the point? Sound familiar? These were some of the responses to reading that I received during my first year teaching bright and talented sixth graders. How could 24 students, who
Read More… from Literature Circles: Student-Driven Instruction
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Writing and reading “I Am” poetry through different lenses. “Read this article about The Great Pandemic of 1918–1919 and then answer the questions on the board,” the teacher directed as she handed out the printed pages. Where did the pandemic start? How did the pandemic spread? When did the pandemic end? How many Americans died
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A student-produced magazine celebrates middle level student voice. In October 2015, a team of seven editors—all eighth grade boys at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond, Virginia—met during lunch to compare two digital publishing platforms. They judged entries for the Cover Art Contest and debated the potential of QR codes. By mid-November, a staff of 36
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Even the most technical STEM jobs require verbal and written communication skills. John Engler, president of The Business Roundtable and former governor of Michigan, recently wrote an article for U.S. News and World Report entitled “STEM Education Is the Key to the U.S.’s Economic Future.” Engler pointed out the United States’ reliance on more qualified workers
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