51 Electronic Books: Reading and Studying with Supportive Resources Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades PreK–Postsecondary Professional Commentary: This professional resource looks at the influence and impact electronic books offer. Highlighted at the site are electronic texts that are designed for a multitude of purposes including reference, instruction, in-depth study, and entertainment.... Projects: Writing 6-12 52 Audiobooks: Ear-resistible Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades K–Postsecondary Professional Commentary: This professional resource addresses the many benefits to using audiobooks with students and the concern somehow that listening to audiobooks might not constitute"real" reading. Author Denise Johnson, an admitted audiophile, examines the benefits and issues that surround the use of audiobooks in the classroom.... Projects: Writing 6-12 53 Adolescent Literacy In Perspective, April 2007, Before-During-After: The Essential Parts of a Reading Lesson Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 7–Postsecondary Professional Commentary: The April 2007 issue of AdLIT's In Perspective focuses on before-, during-, and after-reading strategies. The entire issue can be downloaded, and regular columns include the following: (1) featured article; (2) classroom vignettes; (3) a look at the Ohio Graduation Test; (4) for your bookshelf; and (5) resources from the ORC collection.... 54 A Look at the OGT: Reading a Poem Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: "A Look at the OGT" is a column featured in each issue of AdLIT's In Perspective. This month's focus (January 2007) is on reading a poem.... Projects: Writing 6-12 55 Fluency in the High School Classroom: One Teacher's Method Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–Postsecondary Professional Commentary: "Here's a great urban legend: Asking students to read aloud will make them love to read. No, no, no--here's a better one: Students will learn to read with fluency by reading orally in class.... Projects: Writing 6-12 56 Language Arts and Social Studies? It's the Connections That Matter Most! Resource Type: Content Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 7–Postsecondary Professional Commentary: In this classroom vignette, teachers Lori Dhiraprasiddhi and Wendy Begun (both of whom are eighth-grade social studies at Hilliard Memorial Middle School) share their advice and insight about the "vacuum cleaner that exists in between the double front doors of our school. .... Projects: Writing 6-12 57 Using Scaffolded Instruction to Optimize Learning Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 7–12 Professional Commentary: This brief professional resource focuses on scaffolding instruction in order to accommodate "today's responsible learners" who are challenged to "(a) know how to learn, (b) access changing information, (c) apply what is learned, and (d) address complex real-world problems in order to be successful." The resource bullets important points about what scaffolded instruction entails, what guidelines are appropriate in scaffolding instruction, how to go about scaffolding throughout a lesson, and what the challenges and cautions of scaffolding involve. A special focus is given to using scaffolding with students who have disabilities and learners who are gifted.... 58 Redefining Content Area Literacy: An Update on Reading in the Content Areas: Social Constructionist Dimensions Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–12 Professional Commentary: In this professional resource, Thomas Bean clarifies and adds to his earlier observations about adolescent literacy. Reviewing important reading research over the past several decades, the author restates his premise that content area literacy is a cognitive and social practice involving the ability to read and write about multiple forms of print (textbooks, novels, magazines, Internet material and other sociotechnical sign systems conveying information, emotional content, and ideas to be considered from a critical stance).... Career Fields: Agricultural & Environmental Systems, Arts & Communication, Business & Administrative Services, Construction Technologies, Education & Training, Engineering & Science Technologies, Finance, Government & Public Administration, Health Science, Hospitality & Tourism, Human Services, Information Technology, Law & Public Safety, Manufacturing Technologies, Marketing, Transportation Systems, General Career Skills Projects: Standards First 59 Reading Aloud and Beyond [excerpt]: Chapter 2, "13 Good (Scientifically Based) Reasons to Read Aloud with Older Readers" Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–12 Professional Commentary: This professional resource uses research about teaching reading (Shirley Brice Heath, 1994, et al.) to construct and detail 13 reasons to read aloud to older students. Grounded in the theory and practice that "reading instruction in schools should develop students' passion to read, support their engagements with texts of all sorts, and encourage them to become lifelong readers capable of fully participating in a democratic society," this site acknowledges the powerful influence of standardized testing in the reading classroom.... Career Fields: General Career Skills Projects: Standards First 60 Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle-Level Teachers [excerpt]: Chapter 1, "The Unique Nature of Middle School Teaching" Resource Type: Professional Resource Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Recognizing that middle school teaching is unique in its demand for unconventional thinking, this professional resource focuses on detailing the components of a successful middle school: advisory programs; interdisciplinary teaming; varied and developmentally appropriate instruction; exploratory programs; shared vision among faculty; healthy transition experiences; and healthy parental involvement. Additionally, the author discusses at length the role of the teacher in the classroom.... |