Blogs on Literacy

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Elena AguilarJanuary 24, 2011

I heard the music coming from the classroom before I opened the door -- Mozart's cello concertos. Over a year had passed since I'd finished coaching this new eighth grade English teacher in a tough school; I was driving through the neighborhood and decided to drop in and see how Ms. K was faring.

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Elena AguilarDecember 14, 2010

My last post on literature circles got me all excited for a spell. I basked in the memories of kids discovering a love of reading; those were some good days for me as a teacher. And then I remembered the days that proceeded those good days, the five months I spent training students to do literature circles and have deep discussions.

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Andrew MarcinekDecember 8, 2010

In January 2007, I was hired by Springfield Township School District to teach English. One of the first pieces of advice I received was, "Seek out Joyce Valenza." I took this advice and sought out Joyce, the STSD librarian, immediately. Joyce and I collaborated on several lessons and she was always excited to help my class find new ways to approach research and Language Arts.

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Todd FinleyNovember 11, 2010

My town borders a military base. Almost all my students have a father or brother or sister serving. In meeting these soldiers, I find they have the dignity of redwoods. To question the premise of our foreign engagements would be like shredding their bark. Yet, teaching war must go beyond the "good-evil" rhetoric of politicians and spin doctors and focus instead on the nuances: How and why do we get into wars? Is war working as a means to resolve our conflicts?

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Gaetan PappalardoOctober 27, 2010

I want you to reach up and feel the bumps on your head. Let your fingers run along the hills and crevices of your dome; examine the terrain. End your exploration by palming your entire head like a basketball. Now I want you to unzip your skull. I can hear the slow clicking of each metal tooth. And inside your head you won't find a brain, but an eyeball: a large, gooey eyeball pivoting on an elastic tendon. Searching. Looking. Staring. It's your mind's eye. And it depends on you, my writing friend, as to how much that eyeball can see.

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Todd FinleySeptember 21, 2010

Today's guest blogger is Bob Alexander, a language arts consultant with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), in Harrisburg, PA.

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Kate BrownSeptember 17, 2010

Today's guest blogger is Kate Brown, a K-8 Librarian and information literacy advocate. She is also an active participant in Edutopia's Library Media Specialists group. Below is her response to a recent thread entitled "School librarians being cut."

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Rebecca AlberAugust 4, 2010

You are busy this summer planning and reworking lessons -- adding, adjusting, and tweaking. Here's something to think about, fast forward to fall: We know students do plenty of listening in our classes, but what about the other three communication skills they should be engaging in and practicing daily?

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David MarkusJanuary 28, 2010

Some folks say deaths come in threes.

That makes me nervous. What with the passing yesterday and today of two great men of letters -- historian Howard Zinn and novelist J.D. Salinger -- I don't want to look at tomorrow's obits.

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