Stenhouse Newslinks
August 9, 2006
C O N T E N T S
1) Engaging K-2 ELL students all day long
2) Author Conversations: JoAnn Portalupi
3) PD Corner: Creating inviting learning environments
4) Stenhouse author spotlight
5) Should zeroes be turned into 60s?
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1) Engaging K-2 ELL students all day long
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"Here's proof that our deliberate use of language--what we say and
how we say it--quickly becomes what they say and how they say it."
--Debbie Miller
How can teachers design their classrooms to create an inclusive
community for English language learners? What situations allow ELL
students to practice language in a risk-free environment? How can
a workshop approach support ELL students across the curriculum?
In their new book, "The Words Came Down!" Emelie Parker and Tess
Pardini draw on many years of experience working with ELL students
to create a practical guide for classroom teachers. They use a
workshop format to individualize instruction, expose ELLs to
content through interactive experiences, and give students
opportunities to apply their learning in small-group settings.
"The Words Came Down!" provides a window into vibrant classroom
communities in a school where students come from over forty
countries. It outlines structures that successfully support ELL
students both in the classroom and throughout the school, and
shows teachers how to implement workshops in writing, reading,
social studies, math, and science.
"The Words Came Down!" will be available in print at the end of
August, and you can browse the entire text online now:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0414.asp?r=n94
"The Words Came Down!": English Language Learners Read, Write, and
Talk Across the Curriculum, K-2 * Emelie Parker & Tess Pardini
200 pp/paper * $20.00 * Available online now, in print late August
http://www.stenhouse.com/0414.asp?r=n94
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2) Author Conversations: JoAnn Portalupi
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We've just posted a new Author Conversations podcast featuring
JoAnn Portalupi, coauthor (with Ralph Fletcher) of Craft Lessons,
Nonfiction Craft Lessons, and three PD video series on teaching
writing. She reflects on the effects of standardized testing on
writing instruction, and how teachers can prepare students for
tests in the context of "real writing":
http://www.stenhouse.com/html/mp3joannportalupi2.htm
For more information on JoAnn's books and videos, start here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdportalupi.htm
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3) PD Corner: Creating inviting learning environments
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*August Quote of the Month*
"Geography is everything. I realized that I needed to figure out
what I wanted to happen and how my classroom geography could
support and enhance or inhibit or deter those goals."
-- Isabel Beaton, quoted by Joanne Hindley in Chapter 1 of her
book, In the Company of Children
Many Stenhouse authors offer advice on creating effective learning
environments. Here we present a selection of online chapters that
will guide you at the start of the school year.
When setting up your classroom and daily schedule, what are the
things you shouldn't compromise on? In Chapter 3 of Still Learning
to Read, Franki Sibberson and Karen Szymusiak share their ideas
for room arrangement and scheduling:
http://www.stenhouse.com/pdfs/0359ch03.pdf
(210KB PDF file)
Chapter 1 of the new book Ladybugs, Tornadoes, and Swirling
Galaxies offers a wealth of ideas for creating a classroom
environment that promotes thinking and allows ELL students to take
risks:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0400.asp?r=n94
(Scroll down to the link to Chapter 1 in the Table of Contents.)
In Chapter 2 of their new book "The Words Came Down!" Emelie
Parker and Tess Pardini describe both physical and
social/emotional environments that support ELL students and build
community for the whole class:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0414.asp?r=n94
(Scroll down to the link to Chapter 2 in the Table of Contents.)
Creating learning environments is important for staff as well as
students. Jennifer Allen describes how she created a room
designated for literacy resources and teacher professional
development in Chapter 2 of Becoming a Literacy Leader:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0419.asp?r=n94
(Scroll down to the link to Chapter 2 in the Table of Contents.)
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4) Stenhouse author spotlight
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***Jennifer Allen and Brenda Power are hosting a two-day workshop
for literacy coaches October 29-30 at the Samoset Resort in
Rockport, Maine. Topics include designing teacher study groups,
conferring & mentoring strategies, helping colleagues create
professional development plans, and organizing a literacy resource
room. Details and registration here:
http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department22.cfm
***Franki Sibberson and Mary Lee Hahn invite you to join the
discussion on their blog, "A Year of Reading: Two Teachers Chat
about Books and Reading." A current theme is their quest to find
100 "cool" teachers in children's literature (they are up to 52):
http://readingyear.blogspot.com/
***Diane Sweeney has started a consulting company, Spark
Innovation, to support school-based coaches and implement high-
quality, ongoing professional development. Check out her new
website:
http://www.sparkinnovate.com/
***Mary Cappellini has joined NCTE's consulting network. For
details on her background and presentation topics, visit this
page:
http://www.ncte.org/profdev/onsite/consultants/cappellini
***Judith Tannenbaum is the editor of a new book, Solid Ground, an
anthology of 150 poems written by WritersCorps youth over the past
twelve years:
http://www.powells.com/biblio/1879960710
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5) Should zeroes be turned into 60s?
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"A student does not turn in his project. You record a zero in the
gradebook. When it comes time to determine the student's end of
the grading period mark, you have to make a decision: Do you keep
the zero or turn it into a 50, 60, or 70 to make the grading scale
fair?"
Rick Wormeli, author of the new book Fair Isn't Always Equal,
explores a common grading dilemma in this article from NMSA's
Middle Ground magazine:
http://www.stenhouse.com/rdzeroes.htm
Rick tackles more grading topics in "Six Burning Grading Issues,"
Chapter 11 of Fair Isn't Always Equal. You can read this chapter
and browse the entire book here:
http://www.stenhouse.com/0424.asp?r=n94
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