Author Jill Spencer, a 30-year middle level teacher, invites you to use this book packed with imaginative interactive learning activities to
- Connect your students with the curriculum by accessing prior knowledge in ways that entice them to want to know more.
- Use teaching strategies that take advantage of every student's learning modes.
- Allow students to explore ideas and clarify their understanding of the world.
- Create non-threatening situations in which students can rehearse new ideas and practice skills without fear of a low grade.
- Use 21st century technology as an integral component of the learning process and not just a novelty.
- Ensure students are thinking and generating questions that keep units intellectually stimulating.
- Use formative assessments to identify when you've "lost" students and to alter your teaching plan to address their needs.
- Create a classroom in which everyone is working hard while enjoying themselves and a classroom in which no one feels left out.
In short, you can use this book to artfully design a classroom where everyone's invited.