Corwin Press

High-Impact Instruction Review

Jim Knight’s “High-Impact Instruction” has the nickname “The Educator’s Bible,” and a review on MiddleWeb discusses just how deserving it is of that title!                      
                                

gjmueller:

Students Must Learn More Words, Say Studies

Children who enter kindergarten with a small vocabulary don’t get taught enough words—particularly, sophisticated academic words—to close the gap, according to the latest in a series of studies by Michigan early-learning experts.

The findings suggest many districts could be at a disadvantage in meeting the increased requirements for vocabulary learning from the Common Core State Standards, said study co-author Susan B. Neuman, a professor in educational studies specializing in early-literacy development at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

EdWeek Article by W. James Popham

An EdWeek article by author W. James Popham highlights formative assessment and why is works!

David Sladkey's "Energizing Brain Breaks" is out now!

The fastest way to keep your students engaged

It’s an all too familiar sight: that glazed look in your students’ eyes. They’ve been sitting or listening for too long. What they need is an Energizing Brain Break—a quick physical and mental challenge that’s like hitting the refresh button on your computer, but for your students.

This practical full-color flip book contains 50 highly effective, classroom-tested brain breaks that you can put to immediate use across the grades. No preparation or supplies are required; just one to two minutes of your time when you see a need. You’ll find pictures, directions, and online videos for activities such as:

• Slap Count Letters: students alternate slapping each other’s hands while spelling a word 
• Rock, Paper, Scissors, Math: partners reveal a certain number of fingers to each other, and the first person to add them together wins
• Bizz-Buzz: groups of students count from 1 to 40 using a combination of numbers and words

There’s no better way to help students remain sharp and alert, re-energized to take on the next task of learning!

Andy Hargreaves is featured in the Huffington Post!