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Stenhouse Newslinks
July 15, 2005

C O N T E N T S

1) New book on-line: Practice with Purpose
2) PD Corner: Teacher book clubs and study groups
3) Author Conversations: Teri Lesesne
4) Taking a stand against the test
5) Potter hoopla, humbug

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1) New book on-line: Practice with Purpose
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How can you engage upper elementary students in meaningful, 
independent practice while creating opportunities for small-group 
literacy instruction?

Debbie Diller, author of the best-selling book Literacy Work 
Stations, has written a new book that shows how teachers in grades 
3-6 can benefit from this effective classroom structure.

Practice with Purpose introduces work stations for writing, word 
study, content areas, drama, and much more, while providing 
guidance on setting up and introducing each station, what the 
teacher needs to model, differentiating instruction, and 
assessment.

Practice with Purpose will be available in print early next month, 
but you can review the entire book on-line now:

http://www.stenhouse.com/0395.asp?r=n72

* Special for Newslinks subscribers *
Pre-order Practice with Purpose on our Web site by July 31, and 
we'll waive the shipping charge (a $5 value!). Just enter the 
discount code NL72 at the "Address" checkout screen.

Practice with Purpose: Literacy Work Stations for Grades 3-6
Debbie Diller * 232 pp/paper * $21.00 * Available in early August
http://www.stenhouse.com/0395.asp?r=n72

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2) PD Corner: Teacher book clubs and study groups
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*July Quote of the Month*

"The pleasure of reading is doubled when one lives with another 
who shares the same books."
--Katherine Mansfield
 
Teacher study groups are thriving in many schools. Here are some 
web resources for starting, maintaining, or revitalizing study 
groups and book clubs.

The Cornerstone literacy project has a variety of tips from 
teachers who have run successful study groups:

http://www.cornerstoneliteracy.org/NEWSLETTER/110901/study.html

Rachel Jacobsohn, author of The Reading Group Handbook, offers 
these "Ten Tips for Starting and Running a Successful Book Club":

http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/group_leaders.htm

Book Clubs Resource is another great source of on-line materials 
for book club facilitators:

http://www.book-clubs-resource.com/

Finally, Book Muse has advice for tackling everything from the 
participant who talks too much to setting a theme for a yearlong 
book club:

http://www.bookmuse.com/pages/resources/bookgrouptip.asp

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3) Author Conversations: Teri Lesesne
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Teri Lesesne, author of Making the Match, talks about the 
challenge of bringing contemporary YA texts into the curriculum 
without displacing classic literature, in the latest addition to 
our Author Conversations video series:

http://www.stenhouse.com/conversations.asp?r=n72

Follow this link to read the Introduction and Chapter 1 of Making 
the Match:

http://www.stenhouse.com/0381.asp?r=n72

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4) Taking a stand against the test
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  My high school graduation took place during the Memorial
  Day weekend. However, despite being ranked sixth in my
  class, I did not cross the stage that day, and my dad, our
  high school principal, did not give me a diploma. I did not
  drop out at the last minute, and I was not expelled. I
  didn't graduate because I refused to take the Ohio
  Proficiency Tests.

In this commentary from Education Week, John Wood of Steward, Ohio 
explains why he believes the state's high-stakes tests are unfair 
and unnecessary:

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2005/06/22/41wood.h24.html
(Free registration required.)

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5) Potter hoopla, humbug
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1,152 library holds, midnight bookstore parties, thousands of 
advance orders--it can only mean that the release of another Harry 
Potter book is at hand. Read how "Pottermania" is affecting one 
community north of Seattle:

http://www.stenhouse.com/rdpottermania.htm

Accidental early sales have provided relatively benign uses of 
terms such as "leak" and "security breach" in reports like this 
one from yesterday's USA Today:

http://www.stenhouse.com/rdpotterleak.htm

Finally, if you have a more jaded view of the Harry Potter craze, 
you will enjoy this rant from Joel Stein of the Los Angeles Times, 
titled "Hogwarts fans, you're stupid, stupid, stupid":

http://www.stenhouse.com/rdpotterstein.htm

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Editor, at  or call (800) 988-9812.

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