Category Archives: literacy

Science Suggests Measurable Benefits To Reading Serious Literature: From the NYT Blog

by Jay Stott Posted on October 4, 2013

For Better Social Skills, Scientists Recommend a Little Chekhov – NYTimes.com. This article from the NYT Blog was sent to me by three different people. So I guess I had to share. It’s interesting science. But what really struck me … Continue reading →

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If the book isn’t made of paper and I can’t touch it, does it really exist?

by Sarah M. Zerwin Posted on January 24, 2013

Liz over there at Gone Digital has been ruminating about books recently. In a nostalgic kind of way. And it’s gotten me thinking about a few things regarding books as well. I have begun to read books on my iPad. … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st century teaching and learning, literacy, teaching reading, technology, things made of awesome | Tagged | 2 Comments

Cultivating Book Love

by Sarah M. Zerwin Posted on January 21, 2013

I’m about two thirds through Penny Kittle’s latest, Book Love. This book helps me to identify the mismatch between what I hope for my students as readers and what is actually unfolding in my classroom. A lot that is good … Continue reading →

Posted in literacy, reading, teaching reading | 1 Comment

More on narrative: What storytelling does to our brains fm The Buffer blog

by Jay Stott Posted on January 10, 2013

I guess this follows hot on the heels of my last post on the role of narrative. It was tweeted by one of our favorite thinkers on literacy, Penny Kittle. I’ll let the article speak for itself, but the short … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st century teaching and learning, CCSS, cultivating real learning, engagement, literacy, research | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

David Coleman, Common Core, and Storytelling

by Jay Stott Posted on January 6, 2013

There has been a lot of chatter on the intertubes in the last six months about how the Common Core will or will not cause the removal, reduction or shift of the place of fiction in the Language Arts curriculum. … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st century teaching and learning, CCSS, cultivating real learning, DUH, education, literacy, stories, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

Reflections on NCTE 2012, looking back from a dining room table in Iowa

by Sarah M. Zerwin Posted on November 20, 2012

Okay so I didn’t write yet for conference day three. I blame the Las Vegas strip. After the last session we attended Saturday, we headed out to explore the strip. That means that we walked from the MGM Grand all … Continue reading →

Posted in engagement, Haiku, literacy, making change, professional development, teaching reading, teaching writing, things made of awesome | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Huckleberry Finn’s ending? Psychology and artistic interpretation from Sci Am Blogs

by Jay Stott Posted on October 5, 2012

This article, offering a psychological take on the problematic ending of Huck Finn, rolled up in google reader and made for an interesting distraction this afternoon. I have long agreed with the critical viewpoint that the ending of the novel … Continue reading →

Posted in literacy, reading, stories, teaching literature | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Am I an English teacher who has to teach journalism or a journalism teacher who has to teach English?

by Sarah M. Zerwin Posted on July 13, 2012

I recently had the tremendous opportunity to attend the Reynolds Institute for high school journalism, supported by the American Society for News Editors and HSJ.org. This happens every summer at four different locations around the country–I had the good fortune … Continue reading →

Posted in journalism education, literacy, professional development, teaching writing, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Cool Summer Reading Flowchart

by Jay Stott Posted on June 13, 2012

A friend of mine sent this too me the other day. I want a high res poster version for my classroom.   Via Teach.com and USC Rossier Online From Teach.com

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Digital vs. Paper

by Sarah M. Zerwin Posted on June 12, 2012

For most of this past school year, my students submitted their writing to me digitally. They would draft in Google Docs, share their drafts with response groups and me for in-process feedback, and then they would submit their polished drafts … Continue reading →

Posted in 21st century teaching and learning, literacy, technology | Tagged , , | 9 Comments