3.7kviewsWhile the amazingness of choice reading is well-known, some teachers are still hesitant because of–what they assume to be–students’ reluctance towards reading. We know better… Read More »Book Waterfall: How to Get Kids to Do More Choice Reading via Peer Reviews
Are you looking for ways to improve your students’ comprehension, critical thinking, and reasoning skills all while meeting the Common Core State Standards? If so, you will not want to miss this one-day learning experience surrounding Close Reading. Through reading, viewing video, and dialogue, you will discover dozens of practical strategies and engaging techniques that are guaranteed to improve student achievement. This learning adventure is interactive, goal-focused, and instruction-based.
This presentation was designed to lead the incredibly awesome 4th- through 8th-grade teachers at Cedar Springs Public Schools through an all-day professional learning experience, wherein which I shared my journey of learning and teaching Close Reading to ninth- and tenth-graders. The presentation ranges from the days where I committed sticky-note Readicide and accepted “all thoughts about texts as great” to my current days where I want students to, as Dave Stuart of Teaching the Core verbalizes it, “legitimately understand and interact with complex texts for the sake of entering the argumentative conversation of which they are a part.”
3.1kviewsQ: Why not use a novel my students are already assigned to read? As we scaffold and support our students, it’s always important to consider… Read More »Completely Change Your Students’ Argumentative Writing: Teach Them to Close Read a Picture Book
1.1kviewsWhen it comes to the Common Core, many teachers today feel a bit overwhelmed by the barrage of ever-changing standards and top-down state expectations. In terms… Read More »Use In-Class Debate as a Transition to Argumentative Writing
1.4kviewsI wrote the following post, “Using Picture Books in the Secondary Classroom”, for The Booksource Banter. It was originally published in the September 2012 newsletter. By… Read More »Book Review: The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss
869viewsWhile the stereotype resounds that most teachers “have their summers off,” I had the awesome opportunity to meet up with some Michigan #nerdybookclub tweeps at… Read More »Nerdy Style: Summer Book Talks
This video lesson was created as the entry event for the fifth grade students in the GVSU summer literacy program. We created super hero identities to kick off our Project-Based Learning unit studying the villainous invasive species of Michigan.
Read More »Project-Based Learning Unit: Calling All Super Heroes!810viewsThis Prezi presentation was created for Grand Valley State University graduate students seeking a Masters of Education degree in Literacy Studies with an Emphasis Reading/Language… Read More »What is Project-Based Learning (PBL)?
I wrote the following post for The Nerdy Book Club blog. It was originally published April 7, 2012.
Like many lucky teachers, I was fortunate to experience the opening day of The Hunger Games film adaptation in a theater full of geeked out fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds, sporting Katniss braids and Mockingjay pins. On the bus ride back to school, my students could not stop buzzing about how the movie matched (or in some cases didn’t match) their expectations of the book. And now, since returning from their second and sometimes third movie showings, I know that I have to be even more mindful about preserving the book hype we had during our days of countdown frenzy.
As members of the Nerdy Book Club, we know that books like The Hunger Games fuel our classroom climate; however, that blaze of energy doesn’t come from just teacher book talks. It starts with the sparks of suggestion we make based on overhearing bits of student conversation. Since coming back from our field trip, I made note of some of the post-movie banter I was a part of or—via eavesdropping—I made myself a part of in order to recommend new books.
1. “Hey man, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t read the first one. Duh. Just jump in with the second one.”
Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins
Kids want to read what everyone else is reading, even if it’s just to join the trend. Peer influence has a positive effect especially on the choices of my developing readers. In that regard, I see no problem with kids starting with the second book in the trilogy, especially if I know those students will have the strong support of our community of readers.
2. “It was cool how Katniss volunteered for her sister. I can’t stand my lil’ brother, but I’d kill somebody to protect him.”
Homeboyz, by Alan Lawerence Sitomer
Similar to The Hunger Games, thugs rule the streets in this California gangsta book; however, instead of volunteering to take his sister’s place in the beginning of the book, Teddy Anderson mourns the loss of his baby sister after a she gets “iced” in wrong-place, wrong time drive-by shooting. Although an intelligent and expert computer hacker, Teddy must pay for his elaborate yet failed plans of revenge by tutoring a wanna-be gangbanger through community service.Read More »Book Review: No Better than a Jabberjay: 10 Recommendations Based on Hunger Games Eavesdropping
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