Archive
Recent Newsletter Articles
How to Use Interesting Photos to Help Students Become Better Writers
Two teachers explain their routine for English language learners to use “What’s Going On in This Picture?” from The New York Times. This routine helps students learn how to create a claim and support that claim with evidence found in a photograph. They also engage in academic conversations that stimulate academic vocabulary development and critical thinking skills. Read More
The 3 R’s: Reaping the Rewards of Routines
Participants in this workout will establish a learner routine that aligns to one or more CCR standards. This workout includes looking at some videos about instructional routines on the Teaching Channel website. Read More
The Value of Reading Instructional Routines
This PDF resource describes the value of instructional routines, recognizes their variability, and provides a model for regular, intentional, and effective lessons. Read More
Sample STAR Instructional Routines
This PDF resource offers nine STAR instructional routines collected from experienced STAR teachers across Minnesota. Each unique routine provides a snapshot of “what STAR looks like” and may offer new or different ideas for scheduling STAR classes and integrating, grouping, and moving STAR students. Read More
Alphabetics Instruction for STAR/EBRI Volunteers
This handout describes what STAR/EBRI volunteers need to know about evidence-based and explicit alphabetics instruction. It also provides a routine for teaching the English letter-sound-syllable patterns that will help students read and spell words alone and in text. Read More
Visible Thinking
Visible Thinking is a flexible and systematic research-based approach to integrating the development of students' thinking with content learning across subject matters. This website provides a convenient way to learn about Visible Thinking as well as thorough descriptions of the ideals, routines and activities that were developed from research in K-12 schools. Read More
Talking Politics: Valuing Different Perspectives
This video from Edutopia demonstrates how high school students learn how to share and listen to opposing beliefs with empathy in the classroom. Read More