Engaging the Imagination of New Readers and Writers
"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting." -Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist Waco Independent School District, TX "Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions." -Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher McREL Bring out the fun in fundamentals of literacy! For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions. In Teaching Literacy, Egan rejects the notion that familiar ideas and experiences are the best vehicles for effective instruction. Instead, he champions a new approach that focuses on teaching core literacy skills using concepts ranging from fascinating to exotic to magnificent to weird. By framing the elements of literacy in the unforgettable, students more readily internalize and retain material, not only preparing them for tests, but also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing. This innovative resource supplies answers to the question, "But how do I do it?" by offering: Tried-and-true activities from practicing classroom teachers "Teachers, Try It Out" features with instructional challenges (and an appendix of possible responses) for everyday classroom practice Step-by-step planning frameworks for designing and delivering engaging literacy instruction Combining playfulness with practicality and creativity with common sense, Egan's strategies apply to beginning readers at any age, bringing about authentic, enjoyable learning experiences.
Engaging the Imagination of New Readers and Writers
"A fascinating piece of writing, presenting ideas that are fresh and exciting." -Katherine Taddie Kelly, Literacy Coach and Reading Interventionist Waco Independent School District, TX "Focuses on enhancing students' metalinguistic awareness and not just their intuitive use of words, fostering the development of higher mental functions." -Elena Bodrova, Senior Researcher McREL Bring out the fun in fundamentals of literacy! For teachers charged with the great responsibility of helping students achieve basic literacy, delivering instruction in stimulating and engaging ways is not an ideal-it's a necessity. Recognizing this, award-winning author and educator Kieran Egan puts the fun in fundamentals of literacy by helping teachers stir students' imagination and emotions. In Teaching Literacy, Egan rejects the notion that familiar ideas and experiences are the best vehicles for effective instruction. Instead, he champions a new approach that focuses on teaching core literacy skills using concepts ranging from fascinating to exotic to magnificent to weird. By framing the elements of literacy in the unforgettable, students more readily internalize and retain material, not only preparing them for tests, but also instilling a lifelong love of reading and writing. This innovative resource supplies answers to the question, "But how do I do it?" by offering: Tried-and-true activities from practicing classroom teachers "Teachers, Try It Out" features with instructional challenges (and an appendix of possible responses) for everyday classroom practice Step-by-step planning frameworks for designing and delivering engaging literacy instruction Combining playfulness with practicality and creativity with common sense, Egan's strategies apply to beginning readers at any age, bringing about authentic, enjoyable learning experiences.
A Guide to Planning, Implementing, and Assessing Student Projects
"There is no better way to improve student attitudes and outcomes than to blend both meaningful community and global service with improved academic achievement. Sally Berman invites her readers to do just that." -Bob Koehs, Service Learning Coordinator Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency "This book is full of practical tips for the classroom teacher, including strategies for assessing student learning." -Jeanine Yard, Learn and Serve Program Officer Michigan Community Service Commission Provide authentic, lasting learning opportunities for students in their own community Service learning offers students the unique opportunity to learn both in the classroom and in the real world. This exciting teaching strategy, detailed in Berman's second edition of Service Learning, motivates students to learn content information, processes, and skills while making authentic connections to their surrounding community. This valuable resource explains the benefits of service learning and provides a step-by-step guide for using the instructional model. It features nine service-learning projects that are broken down into basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. Each project features: Strategies for aligning service and curricular goals Tips for involving students in decision-making Guidelines for managing different phases of the project Activities that foster reflection and self-evaluation Tips for differentiating by tapping into multiple intelligences In this single resource, teachers will find everything they need to successfully implement service learning projects, helping students gain deeper understandings of content while positively impacting their communities.
The concept of 'authentic assessment' is making an increasing impression in numerous classrooms in North America. Current testing programmes are being scrutinized to determine how to move beyond traditional forms of assessment to enhance student learning, understanding and application of knowledge. The authors of this detailed yet clearly written book provide essential information on how to develop and implement 'authentic assessment' programmes, including the involvement in the learning process of not only teachers, students and administrators but also parents and community members.
"A master at facilitating programs, Williams offers 36 tools that are grounded in years of practical experience for helping teams turn the change process into manageable, user-friendly tasks. He reinvigorates learning communities with spirit, vigor, and mutual support as they address their specific challenges." --Robin Fogarty, President Robin Fogarty and Associates Revitalize the spirit of your school community and strengthen your common vision and purpose! Many of today's schools suffer from stress fractures as they struggle with challenges of achievement gaps, class sizes, differentiating instruction for diverse students, and responding to ever greater demands for accountability. Longtime facilitator R. Bruce Williams gets to the heart of the matter, emphasizing that change is not just external, but also comes from within through revitalized individuals and strong culture. Williams provides administrators with essential tools to nurture the spirits of hard-working professionals and raise morale in school communities. Each chapter ends with step-by-step activities that build on featured concepts and speed the transition from theory to practice, from struggle to success. The book focuses on seven important aspects of underlying structure that can leverage new patterns of confidence and achievement: Participative processes such as mentoring Visible achievements Common understandings Guided reflections Inspiring success stories Community-building rituals Powerful symbols In powerful, well-formed cultures, common spirit is strong. This book provides everything educators need to work together to transform their learning community into a culture of vitality, energy, vision, and purpose.
"The authors provide practical approaches to literacy instruction that are desperately warranted. They offer a prescription for using strategies, selecting text, making home-school connections, and building learning communities aimed at benefiting all students. In short, this is a text that is long overdue." --Alfred W. Tatum, Assistant Professor Northern Illinois University Make literacy MEANINGFUL in your classroom for students of ALL cultures! This book will allow teachers to use innovative strategies to promote engaged, inclusive literacy, and raise their students' appreciation for the cultural diversity in their own classroom communities. This resource celebrates awareness of individual, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity, and addresses all aspects of studies within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Field-tested with K-8 teachers, each strategy is described for use at beginning, intermediate, and advanced grade levels, and also helps teachers to individualize and accommodate special needs students. 50 Literacy Strategies for Culturally Responsive Teaching, K-8 addresses all aspects of language arts, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and integrates math, science, and social studies, all within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Ways to include families and community members further strengthen the strategic effectiveness. The six major themes of this text cluster a wealth of easily adapted and implemented strategies around: Classroom community Home, community, and nation Multicultural literature events Critical media literacy Global perspectives and literacy development Inquiry learning and literacy learning This invaluable resource will allow every teacher to transform the classroom culture to one in which all cultures are valued and literacy becomes meaningful to all!
More versatile than mere number crunching and statistics, data can be an effective tool-even a powerful catalyst-for change within a school. By replacing cynicism with conviction, learning to harness data's power, and becoming good users of data to positively impact student achievement, school leaders can develop three crucial capacities: an inquiry habit of mind, data literacy, and a culture of inquiry. Lorna M. Earl and Steven Katz show educators how to become comfortable with data and provide valuable tools for school improvement teams to use in their work, including: o Vignettes to support group discussion o Activities for practicing the ideas and concepts in the book o Task sheets o Short case studies with actual school data that show how the full process works in a school To improve schools, data can and should be a vital force in the change process. Using this essential resource, school leaders, school teams, study groups, and students of education can all make sense of data to plan and reform for maximum benefit.
Creating a Knowledge Framework to Support School Improvement
"Implementing NCLB is an important guide to thinking about how to create the infrastructure to support sustained school improvement. Kimmelman's extensive experience as an educator coupled with his understanding of policymaking and research allow him to transcend the silos that too often constrain thinking about these issues." -Andrew J. Rotherham, Co-Director, Education Sector, Senior Fellow Progressive Policy Institute Member, Virginia Board of Education "This inspirational book provides a convincing and compelling call to action. Kimmelman provides plenty of practical examples and moves easily between specific applications and the big picture." -Michael Fullan, Professor OISE, University of Toronto "I believe this book should be read by every administrator and teacher leader. It provides a framework for schools to address the need for continuous school improvement in order to meet the expectations of NCLB." -Theron J. Schutte, Superintendent , Boone Community School District, IA How can NCLB directives be successfully applied to school improvement efforts? Meeting the requirements of NCLB is a monumental task. In a concise, straightforward manner, author Paul L. Kimmelman shows readers how to overcome this challenge by building organizational capacity through a knowledge model. This model provides a simple but effective framework for evidence-based continuous improvement that complies with the fundamental underpinnings of NCLB. Key features include: A context-setting overview of the politics and education initiatives that led to NCLB An analysis of what educational leadership means in an age of accountability Lessons in leadership from educators, scientists, explorers, and entrepreneurs Practical examples, reflective questions, and action ideas to help link concepts to specific applications Recommended resources, publications, and products to help build organizational capacity Intended for educators and administrators who have an active role in leading their school or district improvement activities, this book will also be an essential resource for focusing the efforts of school improvement and learning teams.
Get organized, plan effectively, and keep your school running smoothly! Developed for both aspiring and experienced elementary school principals, this unique resource-updated from the top-selling first edition-lays out everyday challenges and administrative necessities to help you plan strategically for the academic year. This month-by-month planning tool, designed by veteran administrators, helps you get off on the right foot in July to set your course for a successful school year. Its emphasis is to help principals develop the skills to foresee future calendar events, and to put into operation specific plans to maintain a calm learning environment. Chapters cover key tasks for each month, beginning in July, and contain: Overview of tasks Communications-letters, memos, correspondence, media relations, including sample documents Planning-workshops, orientations, field trips, fundraising activities Personnel-assignments, schedules, rosters, tenure recommendations Checklists to monitor progress with an assortment of tasks Resources to proactively plan and execute effective and decisive leadership The Elementary School Principal's Calendar offers a handy checklist for each month and the flexibility for modification, helping busy administrators avoid reinventing the wheel each year. It's an essential handbook for every principal faced with the complex challenge of managing all aspects of school administration!
