Stenhouse Newslinks
January 29, 2008
C O N T E N T S
1) Struggling with daily oral language?
2) When you're on the go: audiobook versions now available
3) Author Conversations: Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi
4) PD Corner: Online tools for guiding book choice
5) Using student writing samples to inform instruction
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1) Struggling with daily oral language?
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We've just posted details and sample video clips for two new 15- minute Close-Ups DVDs by Jeff Anderson. Each DVD includes a viewing guide with discussion questions and staff development workshop suggestions.
In Editing Invitations Jeff demonstrates how he naturally links grammar instruction to writer's craft through his "invitations to notice"--an alternative to daily oral language:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0725.asp?r=n131
And Teaching Apostrophes features an "Apostrophe-thon" where students search through a mentor text to find examples of apostrophes and then categorize them as possessives or
contractions:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0726.asp?r=n131
These two new DVDs will be available early next month, and if you preorder both by February 8 we'll waive the shipping charge (a $5 value). Just enter the discount code NLF at the bottom of the "Summary" checkout screen on our website.
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2) When you're on the go: audiobook versions now available
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You can now listen to titles by popular authors Janet Allen (Reimagining Reading), Ralph Fletcher (Boy Writers), and Peter Johnston (Choice Words) on your iPod, CD player, or computer by ordering them in audiobook format. Each title comes with a reference guide including figures, appendixes, and other supplemental material, and is available in CD or downloadable
audio:
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/audiobooks.htm?n=131
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3) Author Conversations: Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi
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"Many teachers have told me that they find the craft lessons are almost like a professional development tool for themselves...they learn more about what makes good writing and in turn they have more things to offer students."
For many teachers, Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi are synonymous with the craft of writing. Last month Stenhouse released the second edition of their best-selling Craft Lessons:
Teaching Writing K-8. In today's podcast Ralph and JoAnn discuss their goals in creating the new edition and highlight some of the changes from the first edition:
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/fletcherportalupi.htm?r=n131
You can browse the entire text of second edition of Craft Lessons
here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0706.asp?r=n131
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4) PD Corner: Online tools for guiding book choice
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Consider cataloging your classroom library with LibraryThing.
Build a database of the books on your shelves by completing simple forms online. Readers can post comments, tags, and ratings, making it easier to find others with similar tastes:
Another resource for sharing reading experiences is Goodreads. You can add and review books that you are currently reading, going to read, or already read, and all of your friends can read your
reviews:
Are you a fan of sticky notes? Now you can use them while reading online. Fleck allows you to create virtual sticky notes for any Web page which can be viewed and edited by others:
This recent Library Journal article provides an overview of how "Library 2.0" tools are fueling a rebirth of annotations among librarians as they become easier to create and use interactively with readers:
http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6495211.html
And here are two great resources from Stenhouse for helping students find the right books:
Good-Fit Books * Gail Boushey and Joan Moser ("The Sisters")
http://www.stenhouse.com/0724.asp?r=n131
This 15-minute DVD demonstrates how to launch conversations about good-fit books and provides five simple criteria ("I PICK") that primary students can use to choose books.
Making the Match: The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grades 4-12 * Teri Lesesne
http://www.stenhouse.com/0381.asp?r=n131
Filled with vignettes by beloved young adult authors, this practical resource will help you hook your students on reading.
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5) Using student writing samples to inform instruction
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"Can we use this technique of careful reading as a kind of formative assessment to guide instruction? And can the rubrics now so common in evaluating student writing help teachers read more deeply?"
In "What Student Writing Can Teach Us" (December Educational Leadership), Mark Overmeyer, author of When Writing Workshop Isn't Working, explains how to go beyond a single rubric score to use rubrics successfully for formative assessment:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdovermeyeredldr.htm
You can read two chapters from When Writing Workshop Isn't Working
here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0404.asp?r=n131
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