As a middle school reading specialist, the majority of my students receive special education services in addition to specialized reading. Over the years, I have also taught my share of students who just don’t like reading or even school. Occasionally, students are placed with me because my classes are small or the student has an [...]
Entries from February 27th, 2010
A Tribute to TweenTribune
February 26th, 2010 · 3 Comments · reading and technology
Earlier this month, I wrote about TweenTribune and its possible uses for reading and writing instruction and practice. The day after my students were assigned the task of reading a news story and writing a short comment about the story, one of my struggling readers reported to me, “I spent a whole hour reading the [...]
Tags:
Six Word Memoir
February 20th, 2010 · No Comments · education issues, reading and technology
I just read about the Six Word Memoir from Stacy Nockowitz on the English Companion Ning. It is a great idea! Here it is.
Tags:
Reading and Writing with TweenTribune
February 18th, 2010 · No Comments · reading and technology
TweenTribune offers middle school teachers and students with great opportunities for reading high interest informational text along with the opportunity for writing in a safe environment. Students can choose to read the most current articles such as, No weeknight TV Obama girls – how about you? or Wanna Skip Senior Year? Try Utah, or they [...]
Tags:
The Joy of Teaching
February 10th, 2010 · 3 Comments · education issues
As part of a unit on reading informational text, my students and I are reading texts about the brain, the mind, and learning. We recently read an excerpt from John Medina’s book, Brain Rules, and then watched the video clip for Rule#1: Exercise Boosts Brain Power. Our reading and watching was interspersed with discussion and [...]
Tags:
After School Specials Redux
February 7th, 2010 · 3 Comments · reading and technology, reading and the brain
As a teenager, everything I knew about social issues like anorexia, dating violence, and teen pregnancy came from ABC’s After School Specials. These formulaic dramas combined the power of a storyline with which teens could identify with important social information. This pattern continues today with the movies developed about the life stories of real people. [...]
Tags: