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Here is a look at five tips from 2015's Professional Book lineup:
From A Mindset for Learning by Kristine Mraz and Christine Hertz
The most powerful classroom cultures are the ones that have rich opportunities for playful engagement. Play has a wide range of definitions—rough and tumble, fantasy, construction play for starters—and all of them have a place in school. How might constructive play be practically implemented in classrooms?
Try this: Encourage children to create pretend worlds in the primary grades.
There is wild and raucous recess play, but there is also sustained and involved intentional play. Recess play exercises bodies and energizes spirits. The other kind of play may seem quieter, but also works on mental dexterity, flexibility, and self-regulation.
From Engaging Every Learner: Classroom Principles, Strategies, and Tools by Patricia Vitale-Reilly
Reading and discussing a text with a child develops comprehension skills, builds student engagement, and encourages a love of reading. A book club buddy reads with but mostly discusses a text with a child in the way of an adult book club. The goal is to talk about and collaborate around the text!
As a book club buddy, you:
From Reading Nonfiction: Notice & Note Stances, Signposts, and Strategies by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst
When students point to a part of a text and say, simply, “I don’t get it,” try pushing them to ask themselves, “What did the author think I already knew?” We have found that when kids look at confusing passages with that question in mind, they almost always identify what they need to do to clear it up. Talking about what they author thinks they already know helps them begin to identify solutions. When that happens, we can say, “Well, if the author thinks you know the meaning of a term, and you don’t, perhaps you need to look it up.” Or, “If the author thinks you know how to find the area of a circle, and you don’t, maybe you should turn back a page in your math text to find the formula.”
Identifying the “it” in “I don’t get it” gives students enough knowledge to be able to solve the problem on their own, or at least talk intelligently about the problem with another reader. Being able to clear up their confusion is a critical step toward becoming independent readers.
From Modeling With Mathematics by Nancy Butler Wolf
When students present their results in a variety of ways, they find that they are not only providing a clear explanation of their reasoning and solution, but have a better understanding of the connection between the equation, the picture, and the actual problem they are solving. How can we help students to communicate solutions in a variety of ways?
Try this:
Communicating mathematical solutions pictorially, verbally, graphically, and textually helps students to internalize the myriad ways to solve math equations while building confidence in their own problem-solving abilities.
From The Reading Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Readers by Jennifer Serravallo.
Developing readers often have trouble connecting to the emotions of characters in stories they are unfamiliar with. How can we best help students understand the emotions of characters?
Try this: Ask your students to think about how the character is feeling on the page. Ask them to imagine how the character would talk, and use their voices to sound like the character. Try to follow these verbal prompts:
Children can practice reading with expression to match the meaning they are making. This strategy helps developing readers understand and empathize with the feelings of characters while helping them tap into their inner actor.
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