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Home > News & Features > Newslinks > Newslinks Archive > Newslinks Feb. 2, 2007

Stenhouse Newslinks
February 2, 2007

C O N T E N T S

1) New spring titles now on Stenhouse.com
2) PD Corner: Differentiating instruction
3) Teaching vocabulary to English language learners
4) An interview with Stenhouse author Mary Cowhey

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1) New spring titles now on Stenhouse.com
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We've just updated our website with information on four new books
and one new video. Follow the links below to learn more, and stay
tuned to future Newslinks for notification of publishing dates and
the posting of the entire text of each new book.

The Daily Five Alive! Strategies for Literacy Independence
Gail Boushey and Joan Moser, "The Sisters"
85-min. DVD with viewing guide and CD-ROM *Available in February
http://www.stenhouse.com/0495.asp?r=n104
Complementing Gail and Joan's book, The Daily Five, this video
focuses on three of the five literacy tasks--Read to Self, Read to
Someone, and Work on Writing--that help students work
independently while teachers meet with small groups or confer with
individuals. The Viewing Guide and sample video clips are
available online now.

Making the Most of Small Groups: Differentiation for All
Debbie Diller * Available in March
http://www.stenhouse.com/0431.asp?r=n104
Answers the tough questions K-3 teachers have about small group
instruction: How do I find the time? How can I get more organized?
How do I form groups? What do I do in these small groups? How can
I differentiate to meet the needs of all my students?

Eyewitness to the Past: Strategies for Teaching American History
in Grades 5-12 * Joan Brodsky Schur
Foreword by James A. Percoco * Available in March
http://www.stenhouse.com/0497.asp?r=n104
Offers teachers of American history a comprehensive approach to
teaching with primary source documents, with step-by-step guidance
for how to implement six innovative eyewitness strategies, each
one focusing on a specific type of primary source.

Mentor Texts: Teaching Writing Through Children's Literature, K-6
Lynne R. Dorfman and Rose Cappelli * Available in March
http://www.stenhouse.com/0433.asp?r=n104
Helps students (and teachers) learn how to read like writers,
notice what authors do, and try it out in their own writing.
Includes detailed lessons linked to strategies and a comprehensive
list of children's books organized around the traits of writing.

Test Talk: Integrating Test Preparation into Reading Workshop
Glennon Doyle Melton and Amy H. Greene
Foreword by Franki Sibberson * Available in April
http://www.stenhouse.com/0461.asp?r=n104
Supports teachers in the quest to integrate test-taking skills
into a meaningful reading workshop. Includes lesson plans,
practice passages and questions, instructional language, and
vignettes from a variety of real classrooms.

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2) PD Corner: Differentiating instruction
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*February Quote of the Month*

"If you were to fold your hands together naturally, you would have
a comfortable, close fit. The goals of curriculum differentiation
are to find the closest, most comfortable fit between the learner
and the curriculum...varying the process or content or product to
match the needs of the learner can help us reach that close fit."
--James Curry, Associate Professor, University of Southern Maine

How can we differentiate instruction for the learners in our
classrooms? LearningBase from All Kinds of Minds offers practical
advice for teachers, categorized by subject and skill.
Particularly informative are skill charts that explain common
obstacles and offer teachers helpful tips for differentiating
instruction:

http://www.allkindsofminds.org/learningBase.aspxa>

Need a hot list of quick ideas you can use to help kids connect to
the content you teach? Stuck for ideas you could use to create
differentiated projects? Annette Lamb suggests "Ten Tips for
Differentiation" on her website, eduScapes:

http://eduscapes.com/sessions/needs/all2.html

How do we reconcile standards-based teaching and differentiated
instruction? Carol Ann Tomlinson, a leader in differentiated
instruction, addresses the issue in this article from ASCD's
Educational Leadership:

http://www.ascd.org/ed_topics/el200009_tomlinson.html

Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing and Grading in the
Differentiated Classroom by Rick Wormeli tackles some tough
questions: Do you wonder if you're differentiating already? How do
you grade when students are not on the same page? For an excellent
overview of differentiation read Chapter 1, "The Differentiated
Instruction Mind Set: Rationale and Definition":

http://www.stenhouse.com/0424.asp?r=n104

According to the Center on Human Policy, differentiation gives
students multiple access points to curriculum, instruction, and
assessment. Dip into their tips on differentiating during reading,
writing, role-playing, and group discussions:

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

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3) Teaching vocabulary to English language learners
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This short article from the December issue of Language Magazine
provides strategies and tips for teaching vocabulary to English
language learners:

http://www.languagemagazine.com/internetedition/dec2006.html
(Click on the "Vocabulary Strategies" link.)

Many articles from past issues of Language Magazine are available
online:

http://www.languagemagazine.com/archives.html
(Click on the magazine covers to view the contents of each issue.)

And browse these resources from Stenhouse for teaching English
language learners, with sample chapters available for reading
online:

http://www.stenhouse.com/elltitles.asp

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4) An interview with Stenhouse author Mary Cowhey
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"For me, teaching critically in the primary grades includes a real
willingness to listen to children, and particularly to tune in to
their conflicts. One part is a child-centered problem-posing and
problem-solving approach...another aspect is teaching children the
skills and habits of mind that will enable them to think
critically and engage in meaningful and developmentally
appropriate action."

In this recent interview, Mary Cowhey discusses her book Black
Ants and Buddhists and a wide range of topics including teaching
history, how to respond to tragedies with students, the importance
of field trips, and NCLB:

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


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