I feel like my mind is turning to mush - I need some good input. I've got the "Daily Five" on reserve at my local library, but I need something else to read while I'm waithing. Anybody read any "earth shattering" education books lately?
I rereading Successful Single-Sex Classrooms, and really focussing on the boy sections. I'll have all boys next year, and am really excited. I have all girls this year, and when I read the book the first time I only read the sections that were marked for girls. I'm finding things I missed the first time about girls too. Not only is it great for gender-specific rooms, but very helpful to mixed rooms as well. Next up is a reread of Strategies for Teaching Boys & Girls: Elementary Edition. Same focus as above. After that I have Daily 5 lined up, since we will be required to use it next year.
I just got finished attending the International Reading Association conference. One of the speakers (in a session with Harvey "Smokey" Daniels and Stephanie Harvey) got me REALLY excited!! Her name was Nancy Steineke. She spoken about developing a (safe to take risks) "home court advantage" atmosphere in her classrooms and then using live (performance/project) assessments rather than the fill in the bubble exams- which end up witht he teacher doing the load of the review in order to write the test - and the students forgetting anything they MIGHT have memorized (in order to pass the test) within an hour of turning it in to the audience of one (the teacher is the only one who will ever see their hard *cough* work. This woman was OUTSTANDING!!!! I bought her book and have started to read it. Even within the first two chapters, it has me SO excited to put her thoughts into action. I HIGHLY recommend it!! (Now mind you... this has been done with more of the 6th grade and older crowd... but I could see it EASILY being brought down to the younger grades - with a bit of terminology changes and a bit of guidance) The book is; Assessment Live!: 10 Real-Time Ways for Kids to Show What They Know--and Meet the Standards
I notice the subtitle of this book has something to do with college. Would this book be applicable to an elementary setting? I had the opportunity to hear Rafe Esquith speak a couple of years ago. At the time, I didn't feel as though his book would be beneficial to my situation. Now, I am re-thinking. Has anyone read "Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire?"
I haven't read Teach Like a Champion as a book, but we used some of his source material for professional development last year. (My principal knew Doug Lemov.) The techniques are applicable to all ages, and the DVD video includes examples of elementary classes. The college part is just that the techniques help you prepare your students to go to college eventually. I've also read Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire, and it was an interesting story, but I didn't find much to apply to my situation. Then again, Esquith taught in a self-contained classroom, and I'm departmentalized (science), so I couldn't do the things with music and sports that he could because I don't have the same kids all day.
McKennaL, I'm such a book junkie - I'm putting that in my Amazon cart. The preview looked quite interesting. I had two boys write a rap about Hamlet this year, and it was amazing!
One of my favs is The Outlier by Malcolm Gladwell. It's an eye opener to why some kids/adults achieve more than others simply by their birth month and geographical location.
LOVE this book! Every teacher should read this book. If you're already doing the stuff, you'll feel validated. If you're not doing the stuff, you'll find the strategies work like a charm. This is actually the only classroom management book I rely on now. :thumb::thumb::thumb:
Have you enjoyed this year? Do you think you're going to prefer boys? Personally, I love boys, I like girls too, but if I was going to have a class full of one gender I know I'd love boys.
I just discovered Debbie Diller's books. I've started reading Practice With a Purpose, Literacy Workstations for Grades3 - 6 and I ordered the 3 companion books for it. I am planning on making a lot of changes in my classroom next year and I am really excited about it. The sped teacher who works with me for math gently suggested one of the other books after reading the following blurb: Do you ever find yourself changing around furniture at the end of a challenging day with your kids, hoping it will improve behavior tomorrow? Is your desk strewn with papers and projects? If so, this book is for you! That's the Spaces and Places book.
I've enjoyed this year for the most part. I've had a few moments with parents and then drama for about a month with the girls. We're starting to wind down, and the girls are in a great place right now with working together and independently. I'm going to miss that, but hopefully I can get there with the boys too. I've got some new strategies to work on. I'm really excited about having boys! If you remember, I was wanting to teach all boys when I started the research on gender-specific classes. I've already got lots of new ideas running through my head. Tuesday I'm going to get to go observe the all boy classrooms in our district. The 3rd grade classes have had a lot of success this year and invited me to come over. Sorry guys. I didn't mean to the thread. I'm just so excited. I did start the Daily 5 book 2 days ago. I'm ready to begin a book discussion if anyone wants to join in.
This was soooo me, when I had a classroom. Most teachers in the building stuck to a month my month room rearrangement schedule. I was constantly adjusting our room for a better fit. Of course, there were some students who remained stationary, but, for the most part, students assumed they would move around a couple times a month.
About the Authors: Writing Workshop with Our Youngest Writers by Katie Wood Ray. http://www.amazon.com/About-Authors...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272828147&sr=8-3
I just finished Spaces and Places...loved it. Her suggestions make so much sense to me and I love that everything in the room has a purpose for learning. All the color photographs are great, and it is a quick read since there are so many picture examples. I plan on using this book to help me set up my future classroom!
"Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire" by Rafe Esquith Some experiences by a 5th grade elementary teacher in Los Angeles, at an inner city school, which are interes!ing and effective!
That's what I will be spending my free time (not much of it) this summer doing, using that book as a guide to restructure my room to make it more learner friendly.
