Better Book Clubs In and Beyond the Classroom with Sara Kugler and Grace Choi
Release Date: 05/23/2023
Better Book Clubs In and Beyond the Classroom with Sara Kugler and Grace Choi
Teacher's Corner
In her comprehensive guide, Better Book Clubs: Deepening Comprehension and Elevating Conversation, literacy coach and staff developer Sara Kugler shows you how to combine the power of book clubs with assessment-driven instruction to support your students as they talk and think about texts together. Using authentic book club conversations as an assessment of academic talk and text understanding, Kugler raises the bar on typical professional discussions about book clubs, moving beyond teacher-directed interactions and surface-level conversations to include: Structures,...
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Talking About Race in the Elementary Classroom: Matthew Kay and Jennifer Orr
Teacher's Corner
In this episode of Teacher’s Corner, we tune into a conversation between Matthew Kay and Jennifer Orr, authors of . They discuss how they chose the book’s title, productive strategies for talking about race with young children, and what readers can expect in their new book. LINKS
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Conferring Across Math and Literacy with Gina Picha, Maria Walther, and Karen Biggs-Tucker
Teacher's Corner
Whether its literacy or math, the goal of conferring with students is to understand student thinking and support their learning in the moment, nudging them forward through brief, informal conversations. Today’s podcast features Gina Picha, author of Conferring in the Math Classroom, and Maria Walther and Karen Biggs-Tucker, co-authors of The Literacy Workshop, in discussion with Stenhouse’s Sarah Haynes-Dietzen about where conferring in math overlaps with conferring in literacy, as well as where the two diverge.
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A Peek Behind the Cover of We’re Gonna Keep On Talking with Matthew Kay and Jennifer Orr
Teacher's Corner
What should conversations about race look and sound like in the elementary classroom? How do we respond authentically and truthfully to children’s questions about the world? And how can we build classroom communities that encourage these meaningful conversations about race? Matthew Kay and Jennifer Orr take on these questions and more in We’re Gonna Keep On Talking: How to Lead Meaningful Race Conversations in the Elementary Classroom. A companion work to Kay’s Not Light, But Fire, this book focuses on the unique and powerful role discussions about race can play in the...
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Stacey Shubitz and Lynne Dorfman: Welcome to Writing Workshop
Teacher's Corner
Stacey Shubitz and Lynne Dorfman in discussion with Stenhouse’s Bill Varner. Stacey and Lynne are veteran writers and educators, and together co-authored the recent book . As you’d expect, today is all things writing workshop, including structure, small group instruction, and the role of teacher as writer— plus we'll learn about their new writing workshop curriculum with Zaner-Bloser. LINKS Follow Stacey at: Follow Lynne at
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What Does Teacher Appreciation Look Like?
Teacher's Corner
Paula Bourque, Matthew Kay, and Terry Thompson discuss the myth of the perfect teacher, what we get wrong—and right—about teacher appreciation, and how we can show appreciation year round. Original Airdate 2020. Links: Paula Bourque: Matthew Kay: Terry Thompson:
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Shelley Harwayne: Above and Beyond the Writing Workshop
Teacher's Corner
Shelley Harwayne and Stenhouse's Maureen Barbieri in a wide-ranging discussion about Shelley's new book, . for
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Jennifer Fletcher: Teaching Rhetorical Thinking
Teacher's Corner
Jennifer Fletcher and Stenhouse's Bill Varner discuss her shift from a teacher-centered approach to a rhetorical one, the long-term value of teaching students to think rhetorically, and the big ideas behind her new book, Writing Rhetorically: Fostering Responsive Thinkers and Communicators.
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Melissa Stewart and Marlene Correia
Teacher's Corner
Melissa Stewart and Marlene Stewart discuss changes in expository nonfiction over the years, the recognition of the Info-Kid, and how teachers and librarians can use the categorization system in their book 5 Kinds of Nonfiction to better support students.
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Listening and Talking Across Literacy and Math
Teacher's Corner
Kassia Wedekind, and Christy Thompson discuss the development of Hands Down Conversations, an innovative discourse structure in which all students’ ideas and voices take the lead while teachers focus on listening and facilitating.
info_outlineIn her comprehensive guide, Better Book Clubs: Deepening Comprehension and Elevating Conversation, literacy coach and staff developer Sara Kugler shows you how to combine the power of book clubs with assessment-driven instruction to support your students as they talk and think about texts together. Using authentic book club conversations as an assessment of academic talk and text understanding, Kugler raises the bar on typical professional discussions about book clubs, moving beyond teacher-directed interactions and surface-level conversations to include:
- Structures, teaching methods, and routines that support authenticity and independence in book clubs
- Suggestions for starting, scaffolding, and sustaining effective, student-centered book clubs
- Tips for listening in on clubs as a way to assess academic talk and text understanding
- Methods for moving from observation into instruction that improves conversation and comprehension
- Touchstone anchor charts and sample lessons for launching and maintaining strong clubs at a variety of independence levels
With a dual focus on stronger comprehension and improved conversations, Better Book Clubs will help you establish effective book clubs that will engage your readers, enhance your learning communities, and become an indispensable component of your literacy classroom.
Better Book Clubs: Deepening Comprehension and Elevating Conversation