More than ever before, as they teach to an increasingly diverse population, educators need a clear, concise guide to designing and implementing responsive curriculum. This book, built around the lessons of classroom teachers, provides the 'how' of instruction design. The first section identifies the most important components of design: addressing standards, designing multiple assessments, identifying richly detailed source materials, and creating interrelated lessons and culminating activi...

This eBook offers a practical look at teaching and learning from the standpoint of a beginning teacher. It explores theories, issues, and strategies for teaching and assessing student learning. It uses the Ontario Curriculum as basis to examine curriculum in general, however the process is applicable to any elementary school curriculum. It will also provide templates for planning lesson and unit materials, as well as assessment tools.

A teacher presents a lesson, and at the end asks students if they understand the material. The students nod and say they get it. Later, the teacher is dismayed when many of the students fail a test on the material. Why aren't students getting it? And, just as important, why didn't the teacher recognize the problem?In Checking for Understanding, Douglas Fisher and Nancy Frey show how to increase students' understanding with the help of creative formative assessments. When u...

Whether you are a student or a working professional, you can benefit from being better at solving the complex problems that come up in your life. Strategic Thinking in Complex Problem Solving provides a general framework and the necessary tools to help you do so. Based on his groundbreaking course at Rice University, engineer and former strategy consultant Arnaud Chevallier provides practical ways to develop problem solving skills, such as investigating complex questions with issu...

What it really means to "read closely."What could Fern Arable, Jay Gatsby, and Winston Churchill possibly have in common? They all need masterful teachers to help students revel in their complexity. And Nancy Frey and Doug Fisher are just the two mentors to help you make that happen.Call it close reading, call it deep reading, call it analytic reading—call it what you like. The point is, it’s a level of understanding that students ...

"Every student deserves a great teacher, not by chance, but by design" — Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, & John HattieWhat if someone slipped you a piece of paper listing the literacy practices that ensure students demonstrate more than a year’s worth of learning for a year spent in school? Would you keep the paper or throw it away?We think you’d keep it. And that’s precisely why acclaimed educators Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, and John Hattie wrote Visible Learning...

Successful students use comprehension skills and strategies throughout the school day. In this timely book, leading scholars present innovative ways to support reading comprehension across content areas and the full K–12 grade range. Chapters provide specific, practical guidance for selecting rewarding texts and promoting engagement and understanding in social studies, math, and science, as well as language arts and English classrooms. Cutting-edge theoretical perspectives and research fin...

"An interesting compilation for administrators, new teachers, and seasoned teachers. This text acts as a concise reminder of what we should all be doing in our classrooms and includes practical implementation ideas."—Patricia Ruggiano Schmidt, Professor of LiteracyLe Moyne College"Easy to read quickly, especially when looking for something specific. I definitely enjoyed the quotes to start each chapter and the research for each strategy."—Kath...

This book is designed for teachers, administrators, and staff development coordinators who are interested in a resource that provides an overview of current issues and the answers to some difficult educational questions. Through the use of case studies, current information, and reader exercises, this collection provides a manageable developmental resource for effective instructional practices and promotes the understanding of special topics and questions faced by the classroom teacher. The...

Finally, a concrete resource for teaching adolescents the way they learn best!Teachers of teens will not be particularly surprised by the latest research showing that the frontal lobe, affecting reasoning and decision-making skills, is not fully developed in an adolescent′s brain. These educators know how challenging it is to provide students with a strong understanding of content as well as the necessary social and emotional skills for productivity, socia...

Thorough and accessible, this professional resource and text shows how the latest research in adolescent literacy can be translated into effective practice in middle and high school classrooms. Leading authorities discuss findings on the adolescent learner, addressing such essential topics as comprehension, content-area literacy, differentiated instruction, gender differences in literacy learning, and English language learners. With a focus on evidence-based methods, coverage ranges from t...

Backed by solid research, Writing Instruction That Works answers the following question: What is writing instruction today and what can it be tomorrow? This up-to-date, comprehensive book identifies areas of concern for the ways that writing is being taught in today’s secondary schools. The authors offer far-reaching direction for improving writing instruction that assist both student literacy and subject learning. They provide many examples of successful writing practices in each...