Professional Literacy Resources

There are many text resources available for sign-out from the high school office. Have a moment to breath this summer and want to find ways to improve your teaching style? This is the place for you!

'"Using technology doesn't mean that we throw out those strategies that we've found to be successful with students," write Katie Muhtaris and Kristin Ziemke. "It's not the tools-it's what we do with them that counts.

Katie and Kristin start with our most important educational goals-literacy, independence, and critical thinking-and helps you connect them to the technology available in your classroom or school. You'll help students dig into texts, research their questions, and create powerful learning communities by using digital tools effectively, responsibly, and in combination with trusted artifacts and print resources.

Amplify does exactly what the title implies. "When introducing technological tools, we often apply the same practices and strategies we use in our daily teaching, but amplify their power with technology," write Katie and Kristin. "We model what we want students to do with the technology, guide them to try it out with us, provide time for practice, then share as a class." They help amplify your literacy curriculum with lessons and guidance for:

• explicitly teaching kids how to be effective digital readers and thinkers
• giving students practice with closely reading images, infographics, and video
• emphasizing student ownership and creativity

Whether you are in a 1:1 school, want to squeeze everything you can out of the one device in your classroom, or your school is encouraging you to use more digital tools, read Amplify. You'll discover how to gradually release responsibility to empower students as you-and your students-make the most of any technology." ~Amazon

"The Mobile Learning Mindset series offers practical knowledge and strategies for successful implementation of K-12 BYOD programs and 1:1 initiatives. The six-book collection provides district leaders, principals, teachers, IT staff, educational coaches and parents with the information they need to make any mobile learning program a success.

The District Leader s Guide to Implementation shares lessons learned and provides many examples and activities that will help school leaders who are about to implement a mobile device initiative or already have." ~Amazon

Our students are already accustomed to constantly-evolving mobile technology and they crave more than what plain paper and pencil can provide. Veteran teacher, renowned author, and tech expert Mark Barnes shows educators how to use mobile devices and social media to create a win-win for teaching and learning. This inspiring resource describes how to:

• Mentor students in responsible use of technology
• Build students’ aptitudes for critical thought and content curation
• Encourage collaboration beyond the classroom walls
• Easily learn and introduce new technology

Including real-life teaching examples and exciting K-12 lesson ideas, along with a teacher-friendly technology glossary. ~Amazon

"In today’s digital world, distance and cultural differences are inconsequential. Technology empowers students and provides them with unlimited resources and opportunities. With this easy guide, you’ll learn the five essential skills to transform students into global learners:

• Creating and sharing digital information
• Using social media
• Digital publishing
• Building a personal learning network
• Using aggregators to create, maintain, and share content

Loaded with tips and examples for using PLNs, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, YouTube, Jing, and other essential tools, this breakthrough guide to incredible learning opportunities will keep you and your students a step ahead!" ~Amazon

Empower is for you if ...

* You are a teacher eager to get students making, designing, and creating their own learning path in (and out of) the classroom

* You are a superintendent, district administrator, or principal who is leading change and working to help your staff thrive in a twenty-first-century learning environment

* You are a coach, staff developer, or teacher leader who is crafting professional learning experiences and wants to encourage colleagues to be the guide on the ride

Empower is focused not only on what happens when students own their learning but also on how to reach a place where that is possible in the midst of standards, set curriculum paths, and realities of school that we all have to deal with. Written by real educators who are still working in schools and with teachers, Empower will provide ways to overcome these challenges and turn them into opportunities for our learners to be unabashedly different and remarkable. ~Amazon

Eradicate Average! CULTURIZE Your School. Average schools don't inspire greatness--and greatness is what our world needs if we are going to produce world-changing learners. In Culturize, author and education leader Jimmy Casas shares insights into what it takes to cultivate a community of learners who embody the innately human traits our world desperately needs, such as kindness, honesty, and compassion. His stories reveal how these "soft skills" can be honed while meeting and exceeding academic standards of twenty-first-century learning.

You'll learn...

• How to reach those who seem unreachable.
• What to do when students disengage or drop out of school.
• How to ensure your learners feel cared for and empowered.
• How to create an environment where all learners are challenged and inspired to be their best.

~Amazon

THE INNOVATOR'S MINDSET is for you if:

•You are a superintendent, district administrator, or principal who wants to empower your staff to create a culture of innovation.

•You are a school leader—at any level—and want help students and educators become their personal best.

•You are a teacher who wants to create relevant learning experiences and help students develop the skills they need to be successful.

THE INNOVATOR'S MINDSET includes practical suggestions for unleashing your students’ and teachers’ talent. You’ll also read encouraging accounts of leaders and learners who are innovating “inside the box.”

You'll be inspired to:

•Connect with other innovative educators

•Support teachers and leaders as learners

•Tap into the strengths of your learning community

•Create ongoing opportunities for innovation

•Seek more effective methods for measuring progress

•And, most importantly, embrace change and use it to do something amazing ~Amazon

For success in school and life, students need more than proficiency in academic subjects and good scores on tests; those goals should form the floor, not the ceiling, of their education. To truly thrive, students need to develop attributes that aren't typically measured on standardized tests. In this lively, engaging book by veteran school leader Thomas R. Hoerr, educators will learn how to foster the "Formative Five" success skills that today's students need, including

• Empathy: learning to see the world through others' perspectives.
• Self-control: cultivating the abilities to focus and delay self-gratification.
• Integrity: recognizing right from wrong and practicing ethical behavior.
• Embracing diversity: recognizing and appreciating human differences.
• Grit: persevering in the face of challenge.

When educators engage students in understanding and developing these five skills, they change mindsets and raise expectations for student learning. As an added benefit, they see significant improvements in school and classroom culture. With specific suggestions and strategies, The Formative Five will help teachers, principals, and anyone else who has a stake in education prepare their students—and themselves—for a future in which the only constant will be change. ~Amazon

Educators' most important work is to help students develop the intellectual and social strength of character necessary to live well in the world. The way to do this, argue authors Bena Kallick and Allison Zmuda, is to increase the say students have in their own learning and prepare them to navigate complexities they face both inside and beyond school. This means rethinking traditional teacher and student roles and reexamining goal setting, lesson planning, assessment, and feedback practices. It means establishing classrooms that prioritize

• Voice—Involving students in "the what" and "the how" of learning and equipping them to be stewards of their own education.
• Co-creation—Guiding students to identify the challenges and concepts they want to explore and outline the actions they will take.
• Social construction—Having students work with others to theorize, pursue common goals, build products, and generate performances.
• Self-discovery—Teaching students to reflect on their own developing skills and knowledge so that they will acquire new understandings of themselves and how they learn.

Based on their exciting work in the field, Kallick and Zmuda map out a transformative model of personalization that puts students at the center and asks them to employ the set of dispositions for engagement and learning known as the Habits of Mind.

They share the perspectives of educators engaged in this work; highlight the habits that empower students to pursue aspirations, investigate problems, design solutions, chase curiosities, and create performances; and provide tools and recommendations for adjusting classroom practices to facilitate learning that is self-directed, dynamic, sometimes messy, and always meaningful. ~Amazon

As the world changes, how do we educate differently so students, teachers, and staff are empowered to thrive in this environment? In this new book from bestselling author A.J. Juliani, you’ll learn a clear process to guide risk-taking and lead change so you can be intentional about innovation in your classroom, school, and life. Juliani shows why we need intentional innovation and how to implement it effectively using the PLASMA framework:

• What to Praise, Look For, and Assess
• Support What is Different
• Make Time for Creative Work
• Allow for the New and Unknown

You’ll also gain insights on celebrating failing and learning, creating conditions for creativity, and leading the change. Whether you are a technology and innovation coach, a teacher, or an administrator, Intentional Innovation will motivate you to take risks, be up to date on the latest research, and manage strong working relationships designed to help students succeed beyond school doors. It’s not just about technology for change, but about fostering relationships to motivate, inspire, and challenge us to step out and lead in a future that is exciting and unknown. ~Amazon

One "Hacky" Book

Hack Learning is different from anything else in education, and so is Anthology because it's both a preview of 9 other books and a full-fledged, feature-length blueprint for solving your biggest school and classroom problems.

The Hacks

1. Create C.U.L.T.U.R.E: from Hacking Leadership by Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis
2. Teach Students to Self-Grade: from Hacking Assessment by Starr Sackstein
3. Pineapple Charts: from Hacking Education by Mark Barnes and Jennifer Gonzalez
4. Teach Them to Tinker: from Make Writing by Angela Stockman
5. Hash Out a Hashtag: from Hacking Engagement by James Sturtevant
6. Spotlight Reading in Your School: from Hacking Literacy by Gerard Dawson
7. Amplify Student Voice: from Hacking Homework by Starr Sackstein and Connie Hamilton
8. The Progress Assessment Tool (PAT): from Hacking Project Based Learning by Ross Cooper and Erin Murphy
9. Vigor Versus Rigor: from Hacking the Common Core by Michael Fisher
10. Conclusion: Good Luck: from Hacking Engagement by James Sturtevant

Read Hack Learning Anthology today

And put an innovative solution into action tomorrow.

Why do some schools succeed while others struggle? Why do policies and programs often fail to deliver what they promise? In this follow-up to their insightful School Culture Rewired: How to Define, Assess, and Transform It, authors Steve Gruenert and Todd Whitaker offer practical advice and strategies that help you build positive energy to reinvigorate your school's culture and staff.

Written as a standalone guide, School Culture Recharged clarifies the difference between culture and climate and zeroes in on key school improvement efforts, including

• Moving from the culture you have to the culture you want;
• Using the school's culture to improve teaching, job satisfaction, and morale;
• Maximizing the intentions of professional learning communities; and
• Developing organizational habits—rules and rituals—that can contribute to positive change.

For education leaders at all levels, this book delivers a compelling message: Understanding and harnessing the transformative power of school culture can propel your school into the kind of place where teachers want to work, administrators can focus on what matters most, and students can thrive.

Expert strategies for personalized, 21st Century professional learning!

Empower teachers to take ownership of their own professional learning. Recognized EdTech leaders Murray and Zoul guide you step-by-step through the process. Confidently learn to build a values-driven school culture, personalized professional roadmaps, and a collaboration-minded staff. You’ll find concrete examples, leadership profiles, and a wealth of resources to help administrators and teachers:

• Take ownership of their professional growth
• Design meaningful learning opportunities
• Collaborate and learn using technology, blogs, and social media
• Model and support professional learning for others

Transform teacher learning and see your student achievement soar!

Flip communication for instant impact―and real results for students!

Break away from the old ways of communication and revolutionize leadership and communication at your school. Use the principles of connectedness and flipped learning to engage stakeholders―teachers, administrators, and parents―digitally, so they’re ready for engaging and productive discussions when you meet in person. Featuring action steps, reflections, and "connected moments," plus more resources online, this book shows you how flipped leadership:

• Makes the school community visible to parents
• Creates authentic staff meetings
• Maximizes communication between parents and school
• Models effective use of technology

It's time to bring fun back to school

In Hacking Leadership, award-winning school administrators Joe Sanfelippo and Tony Sinanis demonstrate how to increase learning by leaving the office and engaging directly with all teachers and learners. They identify 10 problems with school leadership and provide dynamic, right-now solutions. During this exciting journey toward change, you learn how to:

• Transform yourself from leader to Lead Learner
• Amplify individual staff needs while maintaining a collaborative vision
• Employ unique strategies to break down the walls between home and school
• Empower students and staff to own their space
• Create a culture where “Yes” and “Trust” are the default
• Eliminate initiative overload while encouraging teachers to lead, as well
• Broadcast student voice
• Bring passion into your school
• Embrace technology and social channels in ways rarely considered in education
• Eradicate your deficit mindset

Thinking critically. Communicating effectively. Collaborating productively. Students need to develop proficiencies while mastering the practices, concepts, and ideas associated with mathematics and science. Successful students must be able to work with large data sets, design experiments, and apply what they’re learning to solve real-world problems.

Research shows that inquiry-based instruction boosts students’ critical thinking skills and promotes the kind of creative problem solving that turns the classroom into an energized learning environment.

In this book, real-world lesson plans illustrate highly effective inquiry-based instruction as you learn. These plans include:

• How to engage math and science students at all grade levels;
• Why students should explore a subject before you explain it;
• How to meet rigorous standards and expectations through rich, well-aligned classroom experiences;
• How to develop useful formative assessments and gather critical information during every class period; and
• How to create effective questions that guide students’ deep learning and your own professional development.

No matter what your experience with inquiry-based instruction, Succeeding with Inquiry in Science and Math Classrooms will help hone your ability to plan and implement high-quality lessons that engage students and improve learning.

The Standards for Mathematical Practice provide an excellent foundation for encouraging students to think, reason, and persevere like mathematicians. Many elementary school teachers, however, face a challenge unpacking these practices and figuring out how to implement them in their classrooms.

Christine Moynihan wrote Common Core Sense: Tapping the Power of the Mathematical Practices with the goal of making the practices more explicit, learnable, and accessible. Moynihan shows what each practice might look, sound, and feel like in the classroom using the four-part GOLD framework:

G – Go for the goals. What are the major purposes of the practice?

O – Open your eyes & Observe. What should you see students doing as they utilize the

practice? What should you see yourself doing?

L – Listen. What should you hear students saying as they utilize the practice? What should you hear yourself saying?

D – Decide what you need to do in order to make the most of the practice.

This timely text devotes one chapter to each practice. The consistent framework of the book, similar in structure to Moynihan’s Math Sense, provides an easy way to learn, assess, and deepen your own understanding of each practice—to mine the GOLD.

Banish math anxiety and give students of all ages a clear roadmap to success

Mathematical Mindsets provides practical strategies and activities to help teachers and parents show all children, even those who are convinced that they are bad at math, that they can enjoy and succeed in math. Jo Boaler—Stanford researcher, professor of math education, and expert on math learning—has studied why students don't like math and often fail in math classes. She's followed thousands of students through middle and high schools to study how they learn and to find the most effective ways to unleash the math potential in all students.

There is a clear gap between what research has shown to work in teaching math and what happens in schools and at home. This book bridges that gap by turning research findings into practical activities and advice. Boaler translates Carol Dweck's concept of 'mindset' into math teaching and parenting strategies, showing how students can go from self-doubt to strong self-confidence, which is so important to math learning. Boaler reveals the steps that must be taken by schools and parents to improve math education for all. Mathematical Mindsets:

• Explains how the brain processes mathematics learning
• Reveals how to turn mistakes and struggles into valuable learning experiences
• Provides examples of rich mathematical activities to replace rote learning
• Explains ways to give students a positive math mindset
• Gives examples of how assessment and grading policies need to change to support real understanding

Scores of students hate and fear math, so they end up leaving school without an understanding of basic mathematical concepts. Their evasion and departure hinders math-related pathways and STEM career opportunities. Research has shown very clear methods to change this phenomena, but the information has been confined to research journals—until now. Mathematical Mindsets provides a proven, practical roadmap to mathematics success for any student at any age.

Not all mathematics discussions are alike. It’s one thing to ask students to share how they solved a problem, to get ideas out on the table so that their thinking becomes visible; but knowing what to do with students’ ideas—where to go with them—can be a daunting task. Intentional Talk provides teachers with a framework for planning and facilitating purposeful mathematics discussions that enrich and deepen student learning.

According to Elham Kazemi and Allison Hintz, the critical first step is to identify a discussion’s goal and then understand how to structure and facilitate the conversation to meet that goal. Through detailed vignettes from both primary and upper elementary classrooms, the authors provide a window into what teachers are thinking as they lead discussions and make important pedagogical and mathematical decisions along the way. Additionally, the authors examine students’ roles as both listeners and talkers and, in the process, offer a number of strategies for improving student participation and learning. A collection of planning templates included in the appendix helps teachers apply the right structure to discussions in their own classrooms.

Intentional Talk provides the perfect bridge between student engagement and conceptual understanding in mathematical discussions.

Get the nuts and bolts on imagining, planning, creating, and managing a cutting-edge Makerspace for your school community. Nationally recognized expert Laura Fleming provides all the answers in this breakthrough guide. From inception through implementation, you’ll find invaluable guidance for creating a vibrant Makerspace on any budget. Practical strategies and anecdotal examples help you:

• Create an action plan for your own personalized Makerspace
• Align activities to standards
• Showcase student creations

Use this must-have guide to painlessly build a robust, unique learning environment that puts learning back in the hands of your students!

Professional growth and social media savvy at your fingertips!

This information-packed resource from digital experts Anderson and Whitby makes it easy to build a thriving professional network using social media. Easy-to-implement ideas, essential tools, and real-life vignettes help teachers learn to:

• Find and choose the best social media tools, products, and communities
• Start and grow a collaborative, high-quality PLN using Twitter, blogging, LinkedIn, and more
• Use social media to enhance 21st Century education
• Engage in authentic personal and professional learning

Includes invaluable resources and an in-depth analysis of the social media landscape. Collaboration has never been easier with this must-have guide!

Bring communities together for involvement that makes a difference!

Impact your students in a positive way and join the leagues of educators who are learning to engage with students, parents, and communities using social media and Web 2.0 technologies. Featuring practical strategies that you’ll want to put to use right away, plus a dedicated series website for additional resources, this short and easy-to-follow book will show you:

• How smartphones and tablets can work for your goals
• The secret to getting―and keeping―parents involved
• How to inform, engage, and empower stakeholders
• How tools like Skype can connect the community at large

Project based learning (PBL) is gaining renewed attention with the current focus on college and career readiness and the performance-based emphases of Common Core State Standards, but only high-quality versions can deliver the beneficial outcomes that schools want for their students. It's not enough to just do projects. Today's projects need to be rigorous, engaging, and in-depth, and they need to have student voice and choice built in. Such projects require careful planning and pedagogical skill. The authors leaders at the respected Buck Institute for Education take readers through the step-by-step process of how to create, implement, and assess PBL using a classroom-tested framework. Also included are chapters for school leaders on implementing PBL systemwide and the use of PBL in informal settings.

Examples from all grade levels and content areas provide evidence of the powerful effects that PBL can have, including:

- increased student motivation and preparation for college, careers, and citizenship;

- better results on high-stakes tests;

- a more satisfying teaching experience; and

-new ways for educators to communicate with parents, communities, and the wider world.

By successfully implementing PBL, teachers can not only help students meet standards but also greatly improve their instruction and make school a more meaningful place for learning. Both practical and inspirational, this book is an essential guide to creating classrooms and schools where students and teachers excel.