Annotated Bibliography for Read, Think, Talk

Annotated Bibliography for Read, Think, Talk

Carroll, Joyce Armstrong, and Edward E. Wilson. ACTS of Teaching: How To Teach

Writing: AText, A Reader, A Narrative. Second. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2008. Print.

The sui generis of process writing texts, ACTS provides a well-researched foundation for any writing program that deviates from the “product paradigm” or causes anxiety in teachers or administrators. Particularly good are the journal articles, especially the work of Donald Graves and Donald Murray.

Bordessa, Kris. Team Challenges: 170+ Group Activities to Build Cooperation, Communication, and Creativity . Chicago, IL: Zephyr Press, 2006. Print.

This book is a goldmine of activities that will quickly bond groups into teams, encourage communication and foster creative thinking and problem solving. I’ve used it to create cohesion when switching up discussion groups.

Burke, Jim. 50 Essential Lessons: Tools & Techniques for Teaching English Language

Arts. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007. Print.

This book really lives up to its title – each of the lessons is essential in helping

students visualize and make concrete representations of the abstract concepts in-

volved in academic reading, thinking, listening, speaking, and writing. I use at

least one of these reproducible handouts a week. I modified his idea of the conversational roundtable into my “buzz group” handout.

Burke, Jim. What’s The Big Idea? Question-Driven Units to Motivate Reading, Writing,

and Thinking. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2010. Print.

I love this book for its championing of questions in the classroom and for how Burke opens up his thinking and his lesson planning. I planned my spring AP unit based on some of his ideas here. Burke is a master teacher and his books are worth their weight in gold.

Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circle: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School . Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2005. Print.

This book is the bible for beginning Socratic discussions in your classroom. My copy has been marked up and loaned out over the years, making it one of the few professional books I constantly refer to.

De Bono, Edward. Six Thinking Hats. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 1999. Print.

I found this book by accident in an independent bookstore in Colorado and I’m so glad I did. Even though it’s targeted to business leaders, the exercises are more than adaptable to the classroom. I’ve used his thinking process to solve classroom management problems in a notorious fifth period class, plan presentations, and help student brainstorm service learning projects.

Golden, John. Reading in the Dark: Using Film As A Tool In The English Classroom.

Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2001. Print.

My colleague, Elaine Loughlin, introduced me to this book and to the idea of using film clips to introduce difficult analytical strategies. Golden is the guru of using film in the classroom and I’ve adapted his strategies for use in classes from ESL to Summer School to AP.

Golden, John. Reading in the Reel World: Teaching Documentaries and Other Nonfiction

Texts. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2006. Print.

Golden’s new book on documentaries has been a touchstone text for me this year, especially in my AP classes where we’ve studied documentaries and compared them to reality TV.

Harvey, Stephanie, and Harvey Daniels. Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2009. Print.

Harvey Daniels has taken his lit circle idea one step further into research and this book details the how-tos of starting these circles in your classroom. I used his lessons with regular students last year for inquiry projects, but my colleague, Elaine Loughlin and I decided to try out them out in our hybrid ESL class this year. It’s a great resource to scaffold students into authentic research.

Heath, Chip, and Dan Heath. Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die. New York, NY: Random House, 2007. Print.

This is one of my favorite books and I’ve returned to it numerous times even though it’s a business book. The Heath brothers changed the way I teach and present and their fascinating book just might change you too. This is where I found the tapping exercise that demonstrates the “curse of knowledge.”

Jackson, Robyn R. . Never Work Harder Than Your Students and Other Principles of Great Teaching . Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, 2009. Print.

If you buy only one professional book, buy this one. I’ve never recommended a book to so many people, from Kindergarten teachers to friends who teach college. Robyn Jackson’s book is a how-to on becoming a master teacher by brushing up on seven concrete skills. Her methods have changed me as a teacher and revolutionized my classroom.

Jago, Carol. Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004. Print.

Not only is Carol Jago one of the nicest people you’d ever want to meet, she’s a teacher’s teacher. This slim volume is packed with excellent ideas and lessons as well as a passionate argument for giving kids the “hard stuff” to read.

Lickona, Thomas. Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and

Responsibility. New York: Bantam Books, 1991.

A good resource in creating both a moral and democratic classroom without violating or offending anyone’s religious beliefs. I highly recommend the section on creating class rules and consequences. While preachy at times, Lickona persuasively argues for teaching basic human values in public schools to create more peaceful and meaningfully classrooms.

Palmer, Parker J. The Courage to Teach. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1998.

The book toread if you are feeling burned out and depressed in your teaching. Palmer, a college professor, uses his Quaker faith to explore ways for teachers to recover their love of teaching and feel compassionate toward their students. “A good teacher must stand where personal and public meet, dealing with the thundering flow of traffic at an intersection where “weaving a web of connectedness” feels more like crossing a freeway on foot, as we try to connect ourselves and our subjects, vulnerable to indifference, judgment, ridicule” (17).

Wilhelm, Jeffrey D. Engaging Readers & Writers With Inquiry: Promoting Deep

Understandings in Language Arts and the Content Areas With Guiding Questions. New York, NY: Scholastic Inc., 2007. Print.

Wilhelm is a teacher-researcher like none other and this accessible text clearly and easily lays out the structure of Understanding by Design in a way that makes

concepts understandable and usable.