Group items tagged

The way to engage students in classroom book discussions is to simply ask great questions. But that's easier said than done. Which questions will elicit one-word answers from students, and which will generate rich, meaningful conversation? Here are 23 tips to help you take book discussions to the next level.

Productive classroom discussions-those that enable students to invent, create, imagine, take risks, and dig for deeper meanings-can only take place in a climate in which students feel safe to offer their ideas. Teachers can create such a climate by being mindful of the essential conditions of interactive teaching.

So here they are: 15 formats for structuring a class discussion to make it more engaging, more organized, more equitable, and more academically challenging. If you've struggled to find effective ways to develop students' speaking and listening skills, this is your lucky day.

"We all can agree that one of the most rewarding experiences in teaching is helping that one student find their voice and take a commanding role to contribute to the classroom learning experience. Allowing students the opportunity to engage in discourse that involves externalizing, elaborating on their thinking, and receiving feedback will lead to construction of their knowledge and understanding of a topic. However, these discussions require students to have authority and command over their own thinking to reconstruct ideas and concepts based on their previous knowledge and existing schemas."

The site does not appear to be maintained but the archives are well worth exploring to delve into picture book illustration. From the author: My intention is to discuss picturebooks, in particular the pictures in them! Why? Because, in ELT we tend to select picturebooks because they contain words our students might know. I plan to write something a couple of times a month, sharing what I discover in my readings; describe new titles I come across; discuss particular illustrators and their styles and generally promote the picture in picture books.

"Politicians behaving badly, #MeToo and a shift you can feel in the ether means that we are all talking about consent. Having these conversations in a developmentally appropriate way with children, however, can be tricky and it can be hard to know where to start. Books are a great gateway into these discussions and the following list might help you on your way. Whether you are looking for a picture book to share with a child, a book to teach a specific topic in a school setting, something a child can read by themselves and discuss with you later or a book to leave casually in the path of a teenager in the hope they pick it up and read it, we have some suggestions for you."

"Thérése Hegarty and Patricia Kennon explore picturebooks in learning contexts and how they allow a discussion of friendship, conflict, struggle, norms, points of view, difference and injustice in a distanced way, thus allowing sensitive issues to be discussed without direct disclosures about the children's own lives."

"five general questions to help make sure that these tools truly have you covered or to facilitate a discussion with a group of colleagues. The ideas and questions are meant to spark discussion, get your wheels spinning, and hopefully help you and the educators you work with make decisions about thoughtful technology integration."

"When metacognitive talk is employed as an instructional tool, students learn to use discussion as a way to build knowledge instead of just participating to display what they already know."

Publisher Weekly reports on 2015 UK research finding on increased sales of children's books - print and electronic with some discussion around possible reasons.

Publisher Weekly reports on 2015 UK research finding on increased sales of children's books - print and electronic with some discussion around possible reasons.

"Teachers can scaffold discussions from the early grades on in ways that show students how to respectfully share dissenting opinions."

Excellent interactive site targetting primary studnets but some contwould stimulate discussion with older students. The interactive climate change map (from the Weather and Climate menu button) is an excellent start. Site includes games, videos to view, things to make and much more with a menu that addresses science concepts.

Just because young people are functionally very capable, doesn't mean they always have the criticality to appraise the wealth of information available. English teacher Jennifer Wilson discusses how critical thinking and digital literacy need to go hand-in-hand.

Margaret Kristin Merga, discusses the challenges of getting teenagers to read for recreational purposes in The Conversation. A number of embedded links lead to research in the field of literacy and reading.

This presentation from the MANTLE conference 2014 by Pru Mitchell and Colleen Foley, NSW DEC highlights the possibilities and educational value of e-books and digital content for school libraries. It draws on an evidence base that includes research undertaken in NSW school libraries. It includes discussion of key issues involved in the management of e-books in schools, including areas such as Digital Rights Management (DRM), procurement, operations and lending and access.

John Spencer discusses the importance of providing a productive and engaging climate for keeping kids engaged in reading informational texts.

Mike Dumbleton discusses the decision he made in selecting (and omitting) content in his book Meet...Douglas Mawson. He presents strategies and suggestions to encourage critical literacy as students use the text as a springboard into further research.

Find and level books with Book Wizard. Plus, get booktalks, lesson plans, author studies, videos, and discussion guides. Note the topic and author search is fine without locking students into leveled reading

In spite of their reputation for simplicity, graphic novels can display a surprising level of depth. This sense of depth can come through in a variety of ways-from the language to the interplay of words and images to the themes that can be explored in visual texts. And like novels, graphic novels employ a range of literary conventions, so they're ripe for classroom discussion.

Discussion on the value of project based learning, why the library is ideal for running PBL projects and some suggested activities