In the last two chapters of Classrooms That Work, we've discussed what doesn't work and strategies to garner kids' enthusiasm for reading. This chapter discusses comprehension and how to teach students to actually think about what they're reading. Sure enough, I see very often that kids have had phonics drilled into them and know letter… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Classrooms That Work Ch. 3
Tag: book
Margaret Atwood in the Classroom
I have been struggling with ways in which to teach Margaret Atwood in the high school classroom without resulting in a slew of teenagers feeling horribly sad and hopeless on account of reading such depressing literature (or what my mom likes to call "slit-your-wrist-books"). Personally, I am an absolutely massive Atwood fan. It took awhile… Continue reading Margaret Atwood in the Classroom
KIAT Book Club: Classrooms That Work Ch. 2
Chapter Two in Classrooms That Work is all about reading and writing. Titled Reading and Writing Real “Things”, one of the first sentences which struck me was: “[c]hildren who are successful at becoming literate view reading and writing as authentic activities from which they get information and pleasure, and by which they communicate with others.”… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Classrooms That Work Ch. 2
Teaching Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”
What's everyone's favourite Roald Dahl book? It's hard, I know, because they're all perfection on a page. I've spent years reading and re-reading and teaching all of his novels and short stories and have finally decided that "The Witches" is my favourite. It's especially fun to teach and read aloud just to do the voice… Continue reading Teaching Roald Dahl’s “The Witches”
KIAT Book Club: Classrooms That Work Ch. 1
We recently underwent a huge remodel of our school library and had to get rid of bunch of resources that were being under-utilized. It was bittersweet as our library no longer has some excellent books, but teachers also got to take their pick of what they wanted to keep for themselves and I made out… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Classrooms That Work Ch. 1
KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 9
Chapter nine in Becoming a Better Teacher is basically a summative conclusion. No new information is introduced so, to be totally honest, there's not much I can say about it. In case the reader has forgotten, the chapter discusses what was brought up in the first eight chapters and it poses the question: "what does… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 9
The Hunger Games in the Classroom
I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for the first time about five years ago when I assigned it to a group of students for a group study project. I ended up falling in love with the book myself and recently decided to re-read it on account of the soon-to-be-released film and the fact… Continue reading The Hunger Games in the Classroom
KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 8
Chapter eight in Becoming a Better Teacher continues on with the importance of questions. The chapter itself is titled "Action Research: Asking and Answering Questions About Practice" and sounded fairly daunting to me upon first read. The essential question posed is "how do questions teach?" and touches upon what has been discussed about questions in… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 8
KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 7
This week's chapter in Becoming a Better Teacher is all about reflection. As teachers, we are told consistently to reflect, and we do. I know that personally, I reflect upon each lesson and each day after completion and consistently ask myself what went well and what could have been done better. It's how we improve… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 7
KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 6
Chapter six in Becoming a Better Teacher is titled "Portfolios: A Window into Students' Thinking and Learning" and as soon as I read it, I was reminded of my seventh grade Language Arts teacher who had us work on portfolios throughout the year. To this day, I think it was my favourite year in English.… Continue reading KIAT Book Club: Becoming a Better Teacher Ch. 6
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