Title Details

Laura Ianacone Taschek, a daughter, granddaughter, and niece of teachers, teaches social studies at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Fairfax County, Virginia, where she also serves as a mentor teacher. Before beginning her graduate studies, she worked at the National Clearing House for Bilingual Education. She received her master’s degree in secondary education from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1998, also serving as a teaching assistant for Audrey Sirota and others, and began her teaching career at Half Moon Bay High School in the Cabrillo Unified School District in Half Moon Bay, California.

Foreword by Roland Tharp.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

The Authors.

Introduction: Creating a Meaningful Classroom Environment.

Opportunities and Challenges.

Solutions.

Conclusion.

1. Teachers and Students Producing Together: Joint Productive Activity—Collaboration or Bust!

Research Support for Joint Productive Activities.

Working with Adolescents.

Creating Lessons with Joint Activities.

Assessment of Joint Activities.

Introduction to Laura Ianacone Taschek.

Lessons from the Classroom.

Lesson 1: Literature, Grade 10.

Lesson 2: Biology, Grade 9.

Lesson 3: World History, Grade 10.

Conclusion.

2. Developing Language and Literacy Across the Curriculum.

Scaffolding Instruction.

Lessons from the Classroom.

Lesson 1: Geometry, Grade 9 or 10.

Lesson 2: Earth Sciences, Grade 10 or 11.

Lesson 3: Sheltered English, Grades 9 to 12.

Lesson 4: Global Studies, Grades 11 and 12.

Conclusion.

3. Contextualization or Making Meaning: Connecting School to Students’ Lives.

Contextualizing Instruction Within the Community.

Contextualizing Lessons and Activities.

Lessons from the Classroom.

Lesson 1: Language Arts/History, Grade 8.

Lesson 2: Biology, Grade 9 or 10.

Lesson 3: World History/Geography, Grades 9 and 10.

Lesson 4: History/Social Studies, Grade 9 or 10.

Conclusion.

4. Challenging Activities: Teaching Complex Thinking.

Lessons from the Classroom.

Lesson 1: Literature, Grade 9 or 10.

Lesson 2: Social Science, Grades 9 to 11.

Lesson 3: Trigonometry, Grade 11.

Lesson 4: Writing Research Papers, Grades 9 to 12.

Conclusion.

5. Teaching Through Dialogue: The Instructional Conversation.

The Teacher’s Role.

Planning Lessons with Instructional Conversations.

Benefits of the Instructional Conversation.

Structuring the Instructional Conversation.

Organizing Conversational Activities.

Lessons from the Classroom.

Lesson 1: Biology, Grades 10 and 11.

Lesson 2: Global Studies, Grades 10 to 12.

Conclusion.

Conclusion: A Model of Assistance.

Appendix 1: Creating and Managing Classroom Learning Centers.

Organizing the Centers.

Classroom Groupings.

Group Management and Discipline.

Scheduling Center Activities.

Learning Center Assessment.

Conclusion.

Appendix 2: Laurellos Castle.

Appendix 3: Tibet Questions Graphic Organizer.

Notes.

Index.

"Audrey Sirota has fashioned a high school/middle school guide for educators utilizing practical idealism on how to achieve positive results with multilevel students.  Teachers in any classroom will benefit from Sirota’s concise distillation of five essential teaching principles."
--Krissy Bartlett, high school English teacher, Virginia

"This is a must-have book for teachers in any content area, at any grade level--especially teachers of second language learners. It provides specific, practical information and ideas using critical elements for developing language and higher-level thinking skills."
--Maria Elena Garcia, school improvement administrator, Educational Service District 123, Pasco, Washington

"This book serves as a guide for teachers and teacher mentors at the middle school and secondary level as to how to teach so that all of our students can be successful in our schools."
--Noni Mendoza Reis, chair, Department of Education Leadership, San Jose State University, College of Education

"As a standards- and assessment-based system, I find this book to be a must-read for teachers at every level."
--Andrea Buchtel, computer applications instructor and businesswoman