All About Adolescent Literacy

Informational Texts vs. Fiction Ratios in the Opening Ceremony of London’s 2012 Olympics Mary Poppins to the rescue:Photo from A Guide to the London 2012 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremoniestheblaze.com The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony was broadcast at 9pm on 27 July 2012 (EST). As a platoon of Mary Poppins clones decended clutching their iconic umbrellas to vanquish the Lord Voldemort mid-ceremony, I was suddenly struck by an idea. Top 20 Must-Have Educational iPhone & iPad Apps Used By Real Teachers in the Classroom - iPhone app article - Shara Karasic With the advent of the 2011/2012 school year, teachers who have access to mobile technology are scrambling to find the best education apps for the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone. Educators use apps for everything from communicating with students to inspiring creativity to dissecting virtual frogs. Luckily, we have lots of educators (including Apple Distinguished Educators) on Appolicious who share their lists of the best education apps for elementary, middle school, junior high, and high school. These are the education apps most listed by educators on Appolicious. 1. 3D Brain (iPad, iPhone. Free)

Reading Intervention Program - Building Reading Skills in School Neuroscience research has shown that with the right input, the brain can change and reconfigure itself throughout life, proving that student potential is endless. Fast ForWord is an online reading intervention that uses the principles of neuroplasticity – the ability of the brain to rewire and improve – to treat the underlying cause of language and reading difficulties, once and for all. Watch the Fast ForWord Overview Video Tested, Real-World Results for Educators and Specialists The Fast ForWord program develops and strengthens memory, attention, processing rate, and sequencing—the cognitive skills essential for reading intervention program success. The strengthening of these skills results in a wide range of improved critical language and reading skills such as phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, working memory, syntax, grammar, and other skills necessary to learn how to read or to become a better reader.

Reading Workshop Strategies Reading Workshop is a powerful way to structure your reading class. Using this model involves encouraging your students to choose their own books as well as providing significant amounts of time for them to read independently. By allowing your students to choose their own books, you can foster a love of reading that will last a lifetime. Research shows that when children spend more time reading, they become better readers. The Times and the Common Core Standards: Reading Strategies for 'Informational Text' Update | Sept. 2012: We’ll be exploring the new Common Core State Standards, and how teaching with The Times can address them, through a series of blog posts. You can find them all here, in the lesson plan category “Common Core.” Forty-four states and United States territories have adopted the Common Core Standards and, according to this recent Times article, one major change teachers can expect to see is more emphasis on reading “informational,” or nonfiction, texts across subject areas:

Quick List: iPad Resources For The Classroom One question that comes into my inbox or on Twitter a lot lately is one dealing with iPads in the Classroom. Many schools a all over are investing in iPads in the Classroom and educators want to know how to use them effectively, apps to consider and more. In keeping with the "My Favorite Resources" theme (last week I listed my favorite resources for talking about Twitter) here are my go-to resources when people ask me about iPads in the Classroom. iPads For Education While this site comes courtesy of the Department Of Education in Victoria Australia, there is lots of information that can cross the Pacific that you can use in your classroom.

Order Page ReadingKEY Testimonials Your program is truly the best I've come across in over 30 years of teaching. It took me about a half a year to convince by colleague but she is a die hard believer now! At conferences and workshops I am always telling my fellow teachers -- you've just 'gotta' try this. Marie Barnett Earle Brown Elementary Brooklyn Center, Minnesota Reading Strategies for Elementary Students Global rating average: 0.0 out of 50.00.00.00.00.0 These websites contain reading strategies to help elementary school students become good readers. Some websites simply list strategies and some include activities to help students learn. There are also links to eThemes Resources on inference, context clues, and main idea and supporting details. Grades

New Feature: Test Yourself, Critical Thinking For a couple of years now, we’ve asked students to “test themselves” with daily math and English-language questions. We’re excited to announce that starting next month, we’ll be adding a weekly critical thinking question to the mix as well. This week we’ll be testing the idea by publishing one a day, so let us know what you think. First, though, what do we mean by “critical thinking”? Well, we’ll be asking students to look closely at short excerpts from Times articles or opinion pieces to analyze what the writers are saying and how they’re saying it. We want the questions to encourage readers to examine evidence, note rhetorical and stylistic devices, investigate assumptions and claims, understand allusions, make predictions and consider context.

iPads in the Classroom I've never worked on a Mac. I don't even own an iPhone. But one night four months ago, I borrowed an iPad from our Technology Department to see what all the fuss was about. As a baseball coach and sponsor of our school's broadcasting club, I thought the iPad might be useful for video analysis and editing. And it is. Fast ForWord Software Program Helps Reading, Dyslexia, APD, Autism Brain-Based Reading Software For Children & Adults Neuroscience-based Fast ForWord accelerates learning by working on the cognitive delays that cause most reading and learning difficulties. Just as physical training builds fitness, brain function can be improved with exercise. Fast ForWord software taps into this opportunity. Gemm Learning has been providing professionally-supervised Fast ForWord programs at home since 2006. 1-2 years of gain in just a few months