Thinking Tools For Kids Practical Organizers

High-stakes accountability and the growing move towards standardized testing are placing teacher knowledge and assessment skills under ever-increasing scrutiny. Teachers know what is going on in their classrooms and have first-hand reliable evidence of what their students can accomplish. They can be the major factor in student assessment and help their students better demonstrate what they have learned. Smart Tests shows educators how to create well-structured evaluation tools that match assessment tasks to the purpose and content of instruction. Teachers learn how to relate testing directly to classroom goals and activities and make assessment an integral part of learning and teaching, not just the end result. They will find the information they need to build assessment tasks that give students in grades K-8 the opportunity to succeed. These tasks encourage students to apply new knowledge, reflect and defend their thoughts and opinions, and connect what they learn the world beyond the classroom.

A proven program for enhancing students' thinking and comprehension abilities Visible Thinking is a research-based approach to teaching thinking, begun at Harvard's Project Zero, that develops students' thinking dispositions, while at the same time deepening their understanding of the topics they study. Rather than a set of fixed lessons, Visible Thinking is a varied collection of practices, including thinking routines?small sets of questions or a short sequence of steps?as well as the documentation of student thinking. Using this process thinking becomes visible as the students' different viewpoints are expressed, documented, discussed and reflected upon. Helps direct student thinking and structure classroom discussion Can be applied with students at all grade levels and in all content areas Includes easy-to-implement classroom strategies The book also comes with a DVD of video clips featuring Visible Thinking in practice in different classrooms.

How do the arts stack up as a major discipline? What is their effect on the brain, learning, and human development? How might schools best implement and assess an arts program? Eric Jensen answers these questions--and more--in this book. To push for higher standards of learning, many policymakers are eliminating arts programs. To Jensen, that's a mistake. This book presents the definitive case, based on what we know about the brain and learning, for making arts a core part of the basic curriculum and thoughtfully integrating them into every subject. Separate chapters address musical, visual, and kinesthetic arts in ways that reveal their influence on learning. What are the effects of a fully implemented arts program? The evidence points to the following: * Fewer dropouts * Higher attendance * Better team players * An increased love of learning * Greater student dignity * Enhanced creativity * A more prepared citizen for the workplace of tomorrow * Greater cultural awareness as a bonus To Jensen, it's not a matter of choosing, say, the musical arts over the kinesthetic. Rather, ask what kind of art makes sense for what purposes. How much time per day? At what ages? What kind of music? What kind of movement? Should the arts be required? How do we assess arts programs? In answering these real-world questions, Jensen provides dozens of practical, detailed suggestions for incorporating the arts into every classroom. Note: This product listing is for the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) version of the book.

Use graphic organizers to challenge students, make learning exciting, and raise academic achievement! This research-based resource shows how graphic organizers can strengthen students' critical and creative thinking skills and help differentiate instruction in the classroom. The author provides nine types of graphic organizers based on Bloom’s taxonomy and sample applications for different subject areas and grade levels. With rubrics for providing quality feedback included, this hands-on guide demonstrates how teachers can: Promote the critical thinking processes of assuming, inferring, analyzing, prioritizing, and judging Encourage the creative thinking processes of brainstorming, connecting, creating, and elaborating Modify graphic organizers or create their own to meet individual learning needs

We're in the midst of a parenting climate that feeds on more. More expert advice, more gear, more fear about competition and safety, and more choices to make about education, nutrition, even entertainment. The result? Overwhelmed, confused parents and overscheduled, overparented kids. In MINIMALIST PARENTING, Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest offer a fresh approach to navigating all of this conflicting background "noise." They show how to tune into your family's unique values and priorities and confidently identify the activities, stuff, information, and people that truly merit space in your life. The book begins by showing the value of a minimalist approach, backed by the authors' personal experience practicing it. It then leads parents through practical strategies for managing time, decluttering the home space, simplifying mealtimes, streamlining recreation, and prioritizing self-care. Filled with parents' personal stories, readers will come away with a unique plan for a simpler life.

"As a visual language framework, Thinking Mapsa offers a way for young learners to represent their ideas by visually mapping their fundamental patterns of thinking. The authors offer a wide range of materials, strategies, and evidence-based practices for implementing with Pre-K-2 children"--

"This volume features a set of hands-on modules containing worksheets, models, and self-assessments that are essential for building more polished and powerful units"--