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/html/videoconversations.htm
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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