Writing Commons Helping Students Learn to Cite Their Sources A MiddleWeb Blog By Jody Passanisi When I first started teaching writing in history class a number of years ago, I was totally focused on the students just getting their ideas out and being able to write on historical themes. I wanted them to be able to internalize the basic structure of an argumentative essay, make an argument, and back it up. So I provided the sources. I was already asking them to do so many things – create an argument, find details to back it up, and write in a structured essay format. “Just back up your ideas” This approach to historical writing worked quite well for a few years. But I was still a long way from requiring both in-text and end-of-text citations. “Wait…Do you know which ideas are yours?” Then I had an epiphany. I had previously required students, if they DID use the Internet at all, to cite their sources, but no one really ever resorted to online investigation. So for this new essay assignment I was getting weak paraphrasing, with or without citations.
Teaching Adolescents How to Evaluate the Quality of Online Information An essential part of online research is the ability to critically evaluate information. This includes the ability to assess its level of accuracy, reliability, and bias. In 2012, my colleagues and I assessed 770 seventh graders in two states to study these areas, and the results definitely got our attention. Unfortunately, over 70 percent of the students’ responses suggested that: Middle school students are more concerned with content relevance than with credibility They rarely attend to source features such as author, venue, or publication type to evaluate reliability and author perspective When they do refer to source features in their explanations, their judgments are often vague, superficial, and lacking in reasoned justification Other studies highlight similar shortcomings of high school and college students in these areas (see, for example, a 2016 study from Stanford). Start of newsletter promotion. Subscribe now End of newsletter promotion. Dimensions of Critical Evaluation Prompting
Write About This 21st-Century Libraries: The Learning Commons Libraries have existed since approximately 2600 BCE as an archive of recorded knowledge. From tablets and scrolls to bound books, they have cataloged resources and served as a locus of knowledge. Today, with the digitization of content and the ubiquity of the internet, information is no longer confined to printed materials accessible only in a single, physical location. Consider this: Project Gutenberg and its affiliates make over 100,000 public domain works available digitally, and Google has scanned over 30 million books through its library project. Libraries are reinventing themselves as content becomes more accessible online and their role becomes less about housing tomes and more about connecting learners and constructing knowledge. From Library to Learning Commons Printed books still play a critical role in supporting learners, but digital technologies offer additional pathways to learning and content acquisition. Photo credit: Francis W. Transparent Learning Hubs
We All Teach Reading and Writing Sponsored By If you teach algebra, you may not think of yourself as a reading teacher. But you do know that comprehension, fluency and good communication are key to success in math as well as other subject areas. And the writers of the Common Core agree—the new standards greatly emphasize reading and writing across the curriculum. Writing Across the Content Areas Creative ways that every teacher can foster communication skills.Explore Now » Teaching Fact vs. Why Grammar Rules See why the humble comma is oh-so-important to getting your point across.View Now » How Audiobooks Can Help Explore how audiobooks can support readers and writers.Find Out » Reading in Photos Check out the great reading ideas we’ve shared on our Pinterest page. Go Now » Talking With Struggling Readers Dos and don'ts for supporting a student who's struggling with reading.Read More » Setting the Stage for Deep Thinking How you can promote a learning environment that encourages discussion. Read More »
How Can Your Librarian Help Bolster Brain-Based Teaching Practices? Flickr/Kevin Harber Inquiry-based learning has been around in education circles for a long time, but many teachers and schools gradually moved away from it during the heyday of No Child Left Behind. The pendulum is beginning to swing back towards an inquiry-based approach to instruction thanks to standards such as Common Core State Standards for math and English Language Arts, the Next Generation Science Standards and the College, Career and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards. Transitioning to this style of teaching requires students to take a more active role and asks teachers to step back into a supportive position. “This is so new for teachers, whereas librarians have been doing this for ten years,” said Paige Jaeger, a school librarian turned administrator and co-author of Think Tank Library: Brain-Based Learning Plans for New Standards. “If your brain could talk it would say, ‘I’m lazy and I delete what’s not important,’” Ratzen said. Related
Literature Circles for High School Students | Simply Novel Teachers Blog Today’s strategy spotlight is on literature circles. I’ve used this technique in my 9th grade English classes to differentiate lessons in order to meet the needs of students struggling to keep up and those needing an extra challenge. There are many ways to implement literature circles to accommodate for a range of reading levels, class size issues, English learners, and other common classroom needs. I’m going to share the way it works in my classroom based on my needs, but I’d love for you to leave a question or comment at the end of this post to continue the conversation as it relates to classrooms across the board! What are literature circles? Students select a book of choice from a controlled range of options. Why I use literature circles: I teach 9th grade English in a school that has an average of 50 feeder middle schools. How I use literature circles: Step 1: Lay the groundwork. Are you using literature circles in your classroom or considering them for next year? Like this:
Teaching Information/Research Skills in Elementary School | Langwitches Blog This post title is “Teaching Information/Research Skills in Elementary School”, but this post is as much for adults and older students. Many adults are overwhelmed with the quantity and new kind of media that is available and accessible through technology. Older students in High School and College might not feel overwhelmed, but have never been taught how to navigate, evaluate, save and retrieve the information that they are seeking. How and what kind of information skills do we need to start teaching in elementary school, that will grow and expand with our students as their grow older? What do teachers need to know in order to introduce and guide their students in a criticalefficienteffectivelysafeethical way as they navigating through the sea of information available? We need to help students develop these kind of information skills: locating informationevaluating informationlearning from informationusing (remix) information All About Explorers is well thought through. Reactions tend to vary.
18 Free Digital Storytelling Tools For Teachers And Students Editor's note: We have originally written and published this article in February 2013. Thanks to your useful suggestions and our own following of the latest developments in the fast paced field of technology, we have updated this piece in November 2015 in the hope that you will keep finding it useful. Thank you for sharing! Stories are important. 11 Free Digital Storytelling Websites ACMI Generator ACMI Generator is a creative studio space where you can explore the moving image, be inspired, create your own moving image works, and share your creations with the Generator community. Create the best Course for your School with the Right Vendor Find, choose and compare the top eLearning Content Development Companies for K12! 7 Free Apps For Digital Storytelling Adobe Slate Named App Store Editors’ Choice, Adobe Slate lets you turn your next newsletter, report, invitation, or travel adventure into a gorgeous visual story that delights readers on any device.
What Does the Next-Generation School Library Look Like? At a time when public libraries are starting to offer everything from community gardening plots to opportunities to check out humans for conversations, some school libraries are similarly re-evaluating their roles and expanding their offerings. Case in point: Monticello High School in Charlottesville, Virginia. When librarian Joan Ackroyd arrived there four years ago, she found an environment very different from the “engaging, creative, fun” elementary and middle school libraries to which she was accustomed. “Its library was none of those things,” she recalls. “It was a traditional, quiet research space.” Ackroyd decided this wasn’t optimal. As her first step, she and her co-librarian at the time (music teacher Dave Glover), converted a storeroom into a technology lab. Teachers balked because the library was no longer quiet, but students liked it, and many at-risk students became frequent visitors. “Students work more productively in that kind of environment,” Ackroyd says.
Top Ten Ways to Teach Vocabulary | Teaching Resource Center Building vocabulary is foundational at any reading level. Doesn't matter who, where, or what grade you teach - building vocabulary across the curriculum is a top priority. Drilling lists of spelling and isolated content words can get monotonous. First up, some classroom systems or routines to help implement vocabulary study regardless of level: Word Walls Word Walls receive a prominent place in a classroom environment. Content Rich Words Kids love to learn something new, and sophisticated vocabulary gives them that opportunity. Context The content-rich words you identified can be used in context of your curriculum and your spelling program. Repeated Reading Have you ever found that, when seeing a movie or reading a book for the second or third time, you've gotten a lot more out of it from subsequent viewings? Word Book/Personal Dictionary In my classroom, each student possesses a composition notebook for this purpose only. Graphic Organizers Prediction Sketching Compare Games Additional Reading
Washington International School: A DC independent school with a global curriculum Academics » Libraries The WIS library program supports the educational goals of the School, and encourages the love of reading and learning. In our facilities classes meet for research and academic pursuits, and members of the school community come to browse, read, study, and explore. Our unified library catalog combines two unique collections: one for Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5 on the Primary School campus, and one for Grades 6 to 12 at Tregaron Campus. The library collection includes 35,000 volumes in English, French, Spanish and Dutch. These materials are selected to support the curricula at all levels, as well as to promote pleasure reading for all ages. Online research is possible through 12 proprietary databases in three languages, in addition to the Internet. Library teaching staff work closely with classroom and information technology teachers to plan and offer content-based classes to all students in our library instructional program.