Teaching for Understanding “If I had a nickel …” is the overused phrase I fight the temptation to say out loud when teachers tell me that they just taught something and their students don’t remember. What actually comes out is usually along the lines of “don’t take it personally. Your students are not out to […]
critical thinking
Activate Schema and Engage Students with an Anticipation Reaction Guide
Why? While activating background knowledge might not be one of the “Super 6” comprehension strategies, I would argue that this is where every reader should start. As a reader, when I pick up a new text, I question what it is going to be about and what I already know about the subject. Sometimes, I might […]
Teaching Poetry and Reading Strategies: Out of Wonder: Poems Celebrating Poets, by Kwame Alexander
** Contact us if you would like Rogers Education Consulting to bring an engaging, hands-on poetry session to your campus ** For week three, I thought I’d lighten it up a bit! This collection of poems celebrating poets is incredible and just makes me happy. The range of poets celebrated in Out of Wonder is wide, and […]
Classroom Chatter is a Good Thing
Recently I was teaching Writers’ Workshop to fourth and fifth graders and when I asked them what went well, I was baffled by a student who said “we were quiet!” I smiled and let him know that sometimes it’s good to talk. Inside I was a little crushed. How could we have a strong Writers’ […]