50 Brain Builders For English Classes

Builds problem-solving skills through creative and imaginative activities invities critical and innovative thinking. Invities critical and innovative thinking. Stimulates divergent thinking while making learning fun

Do you like vigorous, quick-moving lessons with lots of classroom interaction? If so, you'll like English Comes Alive! Dr. Witherspoon opens with 60 favorite, wake-them-up activities. Then he writes about role playing, creative speaking, correcting bloopers, acting out words and sentences, outdoor activities, and much more. Drama, variety, student-teacher interaction: it's all here. And that's what it takes to ignite learning. Witherspoon has extensively tested these lessons during 20 summers of teaching overseas. His students have varied from teenagers to middle-aged professors, from clerks to physicians to non-native teachers of English. Whatever the age or profession of his students, he stresses conversation. "The act of talking," he says, "removes the fear of talking." And by removing that fear, students become fluent.

"English is so illogical!" It is generally believed that English is a language of exceptions. For many, learning to spell and read is frustrating. For some, it is impossible... especially for the 29% of Americans who are functionally illiterate. But what if the problem is not the language itself, but the rules we were taught? What if we could see the complexity of English as a powerful tool rather than a hindrance? --Denise Eide Uncovering the Logic of English challenges the notion that English is illogical by systematically explaining English spelling and answering questions like "Why is there a silent final E in have, large, and house?" and "Why is discussion spelled with -sion rather than -tion?" With easy-to-read examples and anecdotes, this book describes: - the phonograms and spelling rules which explain 98% of English words - how English words are formed and how this knowledge can revolutionize vocabulary development - how understanding the reasons behind English spelling prevents students from needing to guess The author's inspiring commentary makes a compelling case that understanding the logic of English could transform literacy education and help solve America's literacy crisis. Thorough and filled with the latest linguistic and reading research, Uncovering the Logic of English demonstrates why this systematic approach should be as foundational to our education as 1+1=2.

A bold, brain-based teaching approach to culturally responsive instruction To close the achievement gap, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement. Culturally responsive instruction has shown promise, but many teachers have struggled with its implementation—until now. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction. The book includes: Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships Ten “key moves” to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

A practical guide to teaching the way a child’s brain learns best In this update of a bestselling classic, you will learn how to develop children’s capacity and will to read. Each sequential chapter is practical, eye-opening, and exactly what you need to engage young learners, plan lessons, partner with parents, and align your PreK-3 classrooms to the science of learning and the science of reading. Gain the latest insights on: Brain development from birth to age eight, plus the skills to nourish it, age by age and grade by grade What the latest neuroscientific research now says about oral language acquisition The evidence base for practices such as read alouds, inventive spelling, and sustained silent reading Why vocabulary building must happen concurrently with phonological processing, decoding, fluency, spelling, and writing How to artfully combine explicit teaching of skills with playful, multi-sensory routines every day All aspects of memory are needed to develop successful readers. When we engage children’s brains and build our teaching practices around what we know about how the human brain makes meaning, literacy learning makes more sense for children... and for us.