This practical guide considers the research evidence that is needed to inform enlightened practice, and offers concrete suggestions and teaching approaches for early years settings and classrooms. This comprehensive book shows the 'what' the 'how' and the 'why' of innovative, creative practice for teaching language and literacy. The author clearly examines how young children learn to use both spoken and written language, and shows how to assess, plan and teach for the effective learning of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Each chapter includes case studies, learning and teaching suggestions and further reading, and topics covered include: o Learning to communicate o Developing spoken language in early years settings and classrooms o The links between oracy and literacy o The inter-relatedness of the literacy process o Teaching literacy holistically o The assessment of language and literacy o Supporting literacy in Keystage 1, teaching reading and teaching writing for different purposes o Children and books o Teaching children for whom English is an additional language o Language, literacy, learning and ICT.
"Uncovering Student Thinking in Mathematics shows us ways to listen and observe children and their mathematical understandings so we can find better ways to help them take their next learning steps. This book is a gift to educators who 'seek to understand before being understood.'" -From the Foreword by Anne Davies "A fresh and unique resource for mathematics teachers who recognize the importance of carefully establishing the starting points of instruction in terms of what students already know. The collection of assessment probes is inventive, engaging for students, and invaluable for teachers." -Richard H. Audet, Associate Professor, Roger Williams University Use formative assessment probes to take the guesswork out of mathematics instruction and improve learning! Students learn at varying rates, and if a misconception in mathematics develops early, it may be carried from year to year and obstruct a student's progress. To identify fallacies in students' preconceived ideas, Uncovering Student Thinking in Mathematics offers educators a powerful diagnostic technique in the form of field-tested assessment probes-brief, easily administered activities to determine students' thinking on core mathematical concepts. Designed to question students' conceptual knowledge and reveal common understandings and misunderstandings, the probes generate targeted information for modifying mathematics instruction, allowing teachers to build on students' existing knowledge and individually address their identified difficulties. Linked to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, this invaluable handbook assists educators with: 25 ready-to-use mathematical probes Teacher guides for implementing each probe at any grade level Examples of typical obstacles and faulty thinking demonstrated by students This rich resource combines standards, educational research findings, and practical craft knowledge to help teachers deliver informed instruction that strengthens all students' learning and achievement in mathematics.
While learning to read and write takes time, there are effective ways to tap into what children already know and use that information to jump start the literacy process. One is through environmental print, the print that surrounds children in their natural environments, from billboards to lunch boxes. This handy and engaging book of environmental print (EP) activities brings in research from the National Reading Panel to support the use of EP across the curriculum in early childhood classrooms. Where relevant, the authors indicate how the activities meet the goals of both Early Reading First and Reading First. The research and activities in the book supply teachers with an understanding of the importance of using EP to promote literacy learning, and a jumping off point for effectively using EP right away. This book offers educators: * Foundational (Clay, Goodman) and recent (Vukelich, Schickedanz, Burns, Snow) research to support the use of environmental print in developing children's early literacy. * A wealth of environmental print activities for teaching language arts, math, health, science, social studies, art, music, and dramatic play. * Activities that specify goals/literacy skills, materials, instructions, variations and extensions, assessment practices, as well as related literature and songs to strengthen concepts * Suggestions for showing parents how to use environmental print with their children An environmental print book list and a sample letter to parents
"Uncovering Student Thinking in Mathematics shows us ways to listen and observe children and their mathematical understandings so we can find better ways to help them take their next learning steps. This book is a gift to educators who 'seek to understand before being understood.'" -From the Foreword by Anne Davies "A fresh and unique resource for mathematics teachers who recognize the importance of carefully establishing the starting points of instruction in terms of what students already know. The collection of assessment probes is inventive, engaging for students, and invaluable for teachers." -Richard H. Audet, Associate Professor, Roger Williams University Use formative assessment probes to take the guesswork out of mathematics instruction and improve learning! Students learn at varying rates, and if a misconception in mathematics develops early, it may be carried from year to year and obstruct a student's progress. To identify fallacies in students' preconceived ideas, Uncovering Student Thinking in Mathematics offers educators a powerful diagnostic technique in the form of field-tested assessment probes-brief, easily administered activities to determine students' thinking on core mathematical concepts. Designed to question students' conceptual knowledge and reveal common understandings and misunderstandings, the probes generate targeted information for modifying mathematics instruction, allowing teachers to build on students' existing knowledge and individually address their identified difficulties. Linked to National Council of Teachers of Mathematics standards, this invaluable handbook assists educators with: 25 ready-to-use mathematical probes Teacher guides for implementing each probe at any grade level Examples of typical obstacles and faulty thinking demonstrated by students This rich resource combines standards, educational research findings, and practical craft knowledge to help teachers deliver informed instruction that strengthens all students' learning and achievement in mathematics.
Phonics: Practice, Research and Policy unravels the controversy surrounding phonics which currently characterises much of the discussion about reading standards and teaching reading. Bringing some much-needed balance to the debate - the book offers genuinely focused advice on how to make sense of the various theories and on their applications in practice, helping teachers to find the right practical solutions to suit the children in their settings. The book includes chapters on: - How children learn to read and how phonics helps - The role of early phonics teaching - Classroom approaches to phonics teaching - Involving parents and carers - Speaking and phonological awareness - Spelling links - Staff development - Responses to the Rose Review on Early Reading. It will be essential reading for student teachers on initial training courses, and for more experienced staff in a range of school settings.
Strategies and Activities for Helping Students Make Effective Choices
"The sanest and safest kids on this planet are the ones who know who they are and how to make choices. The author has condensed this complex and critical process into one fantastic classroom manual." -Michael Bradley, Psychologist and Author "Well organized and comprehensive. A great resource for teachers and counselors who want to focus more on emotional intelligence. Practitioners can choose the topics most relevant to their students." -Jennifer Betters, Elementary School Counselor, Madison, WI Give students the tools to make effective choices in and out of the classroom! Students make decisions every day that impact their academic success and personal futures. Developing emotional, social, and life skills is critical for making effective choices and becoming confident, engaged learners. Teaching Emotional Intelligence, Second Edition, provides educators with fresh and engaging techniques to help children increase self-awareness, manage emotions, build self-control, and develop positive relationships. In a streamlined, teacher-friendly format, Adina Bloom Lewkowicz offers tools to promote students' personal and academic success. This practical text provides a generous collection of fully developed lesson plans with role plays, ready-to-use reproducibles, and suggestions for adapting the activities to individual learning levels. This revised edition features: Expanded coverage of relevant research New lessons on topics such as bullying and violence prevention Lesson modifications for middle school students Guidelines for positive classroom management Designed to help students learn to make informed and positive life choices, this comprehensive resource gives teachers strategies for promoting healthy classroom environments and supports students in building happy and successful lives.
Use writing as a tool to help increase students' comprehension of content! "Offers an organized set of strategies for creating a 'continuous learning through writing' program for teachers and their students." -Kimberley Gomez, Assistant Professor of Curriculum and Instruction University of Illinois-Chicago "The strategies are clearly explained and include samples of student work. They can be easily implemented by pre-service teachers as well as seasoned teachers." -Susan D'Angelo, Fifth-Grade Gifted Education Teacher Pineview School for the Gifted, Osprey, FL Are you looking for ways to improve students' subject area learning and writing skills? Would you like to help students respond more effectively to writing prompts on standardized tests? Can you use creative ideas for developing content-based writing assignments? Writing as Learning, Second Edition, presents teachers with easy-to-use strategies for engaging students in writing about subject area content. These strategies will help students build a rich vocabulary, gain a deeper understanding of concepts, make connections between ideas, and develop organized thinking processes. This updated edition offers * A thorough discussion of writing as a learning tool * 12 practical strategies that can be used across subject areas and grade levels * Step-by-step guidelines for implementing each strategy * More than 200 examples showing how the strategies can be used Designed to help teachers develop a systematic approach to using writing in any subject area, this practical text is an essential resource for helping students achieve higher levels of content learning and effectively prepare for assessments.
How to Design Standards-Based Experiences and Engage Students in Classroom Conversations
"Expertly describes how educators can plan a science curriculum that facilitates primary students' understanding, skills, and development in science, preparing them for careers requiring any level of scientific knowledge and giving them science literacy to make decisions that benefit society and the world." -Robert D. Sweetland, Professor, Wayne State College Design science instruction that helps develop enthusiastic young minds while meeting national standards! Teaching science means doing science and involves three elements: knowing content, knowing children, and teachers knowing themselves as teachers and learners. Kerry C. Williams and George E. Veomett describe principles and requirements that reflect National Science Education Standards for the active learning of science. They identify key ingredients for primary students and their development as young scientists. This resource is linked to research on cognitive and neural development and motivational theory from the work of Piaget and Vygotsky. Teachers inexperienced in science will discover new ways to think about science while they develop lessons that are rich, fun, and authentic for themselves and their students. All educators will find examples, questions, stories, and thought-provoking ideas to give students a strong start in science achievement, plus: Six key elements to build into science instruction: observing, representing, organizing, patterning and questioning, experimenting, and sharing How-to's for incorporating inquiry, workshops, centers, and projects in primary and elementary classrooms A four-step system-choice, planning, doing, reviewing-that helps promote learning in science and across all subjects Launching Learners in Science, PreK-5 helps educators teach science in a way that will expand their own confidence and let them make a lasting difference in children's lives!
How to Design Standards-Based Experiences and Engage Students in Classroom Conversations
"Expertly describes how educators can plan a science curriculum that facilitates primary students' understanding, skills, and development in science, preparing them for careers requiring any level of scientific knowledge and giving them science literacy to make decisions that benefit society and the world." -Robert D. Sweetland, Professor, Wayne State College Design science instruction that helps develop enthusiastic young minds while meeting national standards! Teaching science means doing science and involves three elements: knowing content, knowing children, and teachers knowing themselves as teachers and learners. Kerry C. Williams and George E. Veomett describe principles and requirements that reflect National Science Education Standards for the active learning of science. They identify key ingredients for primary students and their development as young scientists. This resource is linked to research on cognitive and neural development and motivational theory from the work of Piaget and Vygotsky. Teachers inexperienced in science will discover new ways to think about science while they develop lessons that are rich, fun, and authentic for themselves and their students. All educators will find examples, questions, stories, and thought-provoking ideas to give students a strong start in science achievement, plus: Six key elements to build into science instruction: observing, representing, organizing, patterning and questioning, experimenting, and sharing How-to's for incorporating inquiry, workshops, centers, and projects in primary and elementary classrooms A four-step system-choice, planning, doing, reviewing-that helps promote learning in science and across all subjects Launching Learners in Science, PreK-5 helps educators teach science in a way that will expand their own confidence and let them make a lasting difference in children's lives!
