Teaching Argument Writing, Grades 6-12


Book Description

Offers teaching strategies and resources to instruct sixth- through twelfth-graders on how to prepare and write strong arguments and evaluate the arguments of others, providing step-by-step guidance on arguments of fact, judgment, and policy, and including advice to help students understand how judgments get made in the real world, how to develop and support criteria for an argument, and related topics.




Ready-to-Use English Workshop Activities for Grades 6 - 12


Book Description

This unique resource gives middle and secondary school English teachers 180 high-interest activities that build students’ proficiency in the three major areas of the English curriculum—reading/literature, writing, and grammar. All the activities have been classroom tested, can be used with students of varying ability, and are effective as individual, group, or whole-class activities. For quick access and easy use, the activities are organized into 36 weekly packets—each packet including five “Dailies”—and printed in a big 8-1/4” x 11” lay-flat format for easy photocopying. Each “Dailies” activity begins with a well-written student passage followed by prompts that encourage students to examine the passage in terms of usage, stylistic devices, grammatical concepts, punctuation, and reading/literature skills. The activities require students to learn the rules that apply and to use the examples as springboards for their own writing. You’ll find that these integrated “Dailies” activities are ideally flexible. They can be completed as “warm-ups” at the beginning of class, as mini-reviews for more advanced students, or serve as walk-through activities or homework assignments for students who need reinforcement. Each activity will lead to inquiry and lively discussion as students analyze the model passage and learn to write effectively.




Creative Writing for Junior and High School


Book Description

The idea behind this course is to help educators, charter school instructors, and home educators integrate creative writing into their middle and high school level courses. This text is set up in a once a week format, allowing educators to integrate it into their current curriculum easily and, hopefully, seamlessly. The Unit sheets can be printed out and give to students. Additional activities are presented in appendices that teachers can use to present the ideas and provide additional or group activities. Creative Writing for Junior and High School Students is designed as an introductory writing text covering a board range of grades, with a specific focus on creative writing. Educators may want to include additional materials to focus more on different aspects of poetry, storytelling, and critical thinking for higher or more advanced students. Educators can also include the added activities, and separate grammar, and language arts for a complete, semester long English credit class.




Inquiry-Based Science Activities in Grades 6-12


Book Description

This new book shows middle and high school science teachers how to use evidence-based inquiry to help students achieve deeper conceptual understanding. Drawing on a wealth of research, authors Pat Brown and Jim Concannon demonstrate how direct, hands-on experience in the science classroom can enable your students to become more self-reliant learners. They also provide a plethora of model lessons aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and offer advice on how to create your own lesson plans and activities to satisfy the demands of your curriculum. With the resources in this book, you and your students will be able to ditch the textbook and embark upon an exciting and rewarding journey to scientific discovery.




Adventures in Writing, Grades 6 - 12


Book Description

Write on! Write with students in grades 6–12 using Adventures in Writing. This 64-page book includes writing projects for which students develop characters, settings, and plots in a variety of written, oral, and artistic formats. Formats include a diary, skits, plays, stories, fairy tales, biographies, autobiographies, science fiction, and song lyrics. The book supports NCTE standards.




Transforming Talk into Text—Argument Writing, Inquiry, and Discussion, Grades 6-12


Book Description

Author Thomas McCann invites readers to rethink their approach to teaching writing by capitalizing on students’ instinctive desire to talk. Drawing on extensive classroom research, he shows teachers how to craft class discussions that build students’ skills of analysis, problem-solving, and argumentation as a means of improving student writing. McCann demonstrates how authentic discussions immerse learners in practices that become important when they write. Chapters feature portraits of teachers at work, including transcripts that reveal patterns of talk across a set of lessons. Interviews with the teachers and samples of student writing afford readers a deeper understanding of process. Students also report on how classroom discussions supported their effort to produce persuasive, argument-driven essays. Book Features: A focus on “the thinking behind the practice,” as opposed to a collection of lesson ideas. Connections to important elements from the Common Core State Standards, especially arguments writing. Examples of students at work with examples of the writing that emerges from their discussions. Portraits of skilled teachers as they promote inquiry and sequence and facilitate discussions. Appendices with problem-based scenarios, interview questions for students and teachers, samples of debatable cases in the news, and more. “In this important book, Tom McCann has given us not only the admonition to change, but the details about what effective change must be and what it looks like, evidence that it works effectively, and details about how to bring it to pass.” —From the Foreword by George Hillocks, Jr., Professor Emeritus, Department of English, University of Chicago. “For a professional book to have an impact on the field, it needs to address a perceived need. Writing arguments for Common Core performance assessments is a HUGE need right now that this book helps address.” —Carol Jago, associate director, California Reading and Literature Project, UCLA.




Milliken's Complete Book of Math Reproducibles - Grade 6


Book Description

This activity book of over 110 ready-to-use, reproducible pencil-to-paper worksheets are ideal for enrichment or for use as reinforcement. Perfect for use at school or as homework, they feature basic math skills including fractions, decimals, measurement, time, money, and much more.




Parallel Curriculum Units for Language Arts, Grades 6-12


Book Description

"The Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) holds the power to help students and teachers ′see the whole′ of what they are learning. We invite practitioners to read more about this model and join us on a professional journey that we believe will yield that joy and wisdom that comes from seeing the whole. To address the varying needs of teachers across the K–12 grade span—as well as different content areas—we decided to create a series of curriculum units, based on PCM, that could be used by practitioners. It is our hope that the lessons not only underscore important and discipline-specific content, but also illuminate the four parallels in unique and enduring ways." —From the Introduction Design exemplary language arts lessons based on the Parallel Curriculum Model! Want to create rigorous learning opportunities for students in language arts based on a deeper understanding of pedagogy and curriculum design? As demonstrated in the best-selling book The Parallel Curriculum, the Parallel Curriculum Model (PCM) allows teachers to determine student performance levels and design intellectual challenges that help students develop expertise in specific subject areas. Parallel Curriculum Units for Language Arts, Grades 6–12 provides sample language arts units written by practicing teachers to demonstrate what high-quality curriculum looks like within a PCM framework. Covering a variety of topics—including narrative voice, literary criticism, and writing original pieces—these field-tested units each contain: Teacher rationales explaining the unit design Connections to concepts, skills, and national or state standards Step-by-step directions for delivering the lessons and unit Modification strategies, assessments, and reproducibles Use these examples to design your own units and deepen your understanding of how the PCM framework helps tailor curriculum to the abilities, interests, and learning preferences of each learner.




Literacy Instruction with Disciplinary Texts


Book Description

To develop strong disciplinary literacy skills, middle and high school students need to engage with diverse types of challenging texts in every content area. This book provides a blueprint for constructing literacy-rich instructional units in English language arts, science, and social studies. The authors describe how to design interconnected text sets and plan lessons that support learning and engagement before, during, and after reading. Presented are ways to build academic vocabulary and background knowledge, teach research-based comprehension strategies, and guide effective discussions and text-based writing activities. Chapters also cover how to teach students to write argumentative, informative, and narrative essays, and to conduct discipline-specific inquiry. Special features include sample text sets and 24 reproducible planning templates and other teaching tools; purchasers get access to a Web page where they can download and print the reproducible materials in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.




Milliken's Complete Book of Instant Activities - Grade K


Book Description

With more than 110 easy-to-use, reproducible worksheets, this series is ideal for enrichment or for use as reinforcement. The instant activities in these books are perfect for use at school or as homework. They feature basic core subject areas including language arts, math, science, and social studies.