Classroom Instruction that Works 2nd edi

This book is written by a team of authors: Ceri Dean, Elizabeth Hubbell, Howad Pitler, Bj Stone, and builds on the earlier work of the same title by Robert Marzano. I'm not sure if I mentioned him in my last class, and if I didn't, shame on me! Marzano is another one of the gurus you teachers should know. If you are interested in any of his work, he "resides" on the cart in my "office" DMH 218. Email me if you want to get in. Years ago, I attended a professional development workshop given by one of his cohorts. During the workshop, she quoted his research on the importance of teaching kids similarities and differences. There is all kinds of research that supports this importance and how it raises student scores...This book is not thick, but it has an entire chapter devoted to teaching similarities and differences!It was a freebie from ASCD, and is published by McRel (Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning). You are welcome to borrow it from me.The book focuses on 9 strategies that have the most positive effect on student learning: 1)Setting objectives and providing feedback, 2) Reinforcing effort and providing recognition, 3)cooperative learning, 4) Cues, questions, and advance notifiers, 5) Nonlinguistic representations, 6)Summarizing and note taking, 7) Assigning homework and providing practice, 8)Identifying similarities and difference,and 9) Generating and testing hypotheses. You should probably This is one you should have!

The Berlin Boxing Club (398 pages)

Robert Sharenow (don't you love his last name?) has truly "shared" an outstanding YA read about the Holocaust. Now, I am NOT a boxing fan. I dislike it even more than football! But, as with Robert Lipsyte's book, The Contender, this isn't really about boxing. It's a book about coming of age, about self image, about family love, and I think it is a book that should replace many of Holocaust books that have been over-taught for years. It is my new favorite YA book! It is perfect for 7->12th grades. Please, do me a favor and get back to me after you've read it! Or add to this post....if it's possible. What do I know about Blogs????

The Fault In Our Stars (313 Pages)

John Green may be familiar to you as the author of Looking for Alaska. Although I didn't really care for that book(I know it won all kinds of awards, so what do I know?) this book I adored, and your students will also. I laughed, I cried, and the characters feelings became my feelings. It's just a wonderful read. I'm not going to say another word.

The Future of Us (356 Pages)

Jay Asher ( author of Thirteen Reasons Why) co-authored this book with Carolyn Mackler (author of The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things). The book offers one chapter in Josh's voice and the next in Emma's voice. Josh and Emma have lived next to each other for years. They have been best friends, until Josh perceived the relationship to be more, and Emma was shocked at the thought. "You're...Josh!" she said. And he felt shunned and embarrassed. He stays away from Emma until one day his mother sends him next door with an America On Line CD that offers 30 free hours of free web time, including email. Emma loads it on to the new computer her father has sent her, only to be amazed that it shows her life 15 years into the future! She calls Josh over and the same thing happens when he joins the service. How they live their lives making changes or not that effect their future is what the story is all about. It's a good read.

Brain Jack (347 pages)

Brian Falkner has written a book that will be a winner for any boys or girls who are "techies." It takes place in the future, after the United States has suffered from a nuclear blast that wiped out Las Vegas. The plot ranges from cyber stealing, to national terrorism. This book involves the character's using a futuristic cap that allows them to operate a computer without a keyboard, just by thinking what they want the computer to do. It's cool. And I'm definitely not a techie! Falkner is from New Zealand and this is the first of his books that I've read, but it definite;y won't be the last!

The Rag and Bone Shop (154 Pages)

Robert Cormier died just before The Rag and Bone Shop was published. It is not a new book, is a very short book, and it is not a difficult read. However, I think it is a very important book for students to read and discuss. Most kids think that if they are accused of something they didn't do, nobody could make them admit to having done it! This is a book that says otherwise. For this reason alone, students need to know that they should never answer any questions without a parent or lawyer present, no matter how innocent they may be. The interesting thing about this book, published in 2001, is that three years later, in 2004, I was in Virginia visiting family, and happened to pick up a local paper. There was a story that absolutely mirrors this short novel. I have the article, and if any of you want it, email me your address and I'll send it to you. It will scare the....out of your students. But sometimes it's good to be scared, if it protects you from potential harm! BTW, if you are considering this book, I'd get a copy asap before it goes out of print!

The Always War (197 Pages)

If you're not familiar with Margaret Peterson Haddix, and if you are a middle school teacher, this is an opportunity to meet this wonderful author. I first read her book Among the Hidden (the first in the series The Shadow Children) and I was hooked. The premise for that series is that government has passed a law allowing parents to only have one child. (Sound familiar?) This is a story of a family that has a second child and does not destroy him, but hides him. It is a good read, and very appropriate for middle schoolers OR for high school kids who have not been hooked into reading! If they read the first book, they will probably be hooked to read the others. But enough of that. Haddix often writes in the "what if ?" genre. (I made it up, but it has become one of my favorites) "What if? examples would be stories like "What if all the birds in the world turned against humans for caging them and furiously attacked? This latest Haddix book is short, but the "What if?" may not be such a stretch of the imagination, unfortunately, to your students. What if all you have ever known was war? What if all your parents and grandparents had ever known was war. Now here comes the twist. What if there really was no war, and there had not been a war for a LONG time? It's a good read.