Say hello to Thinkport

      Recently, I had the privilege of partaking in a peer-led professional discussion group. My district took a slightly different approach to professional development this school year by allotting some of our PD time to shared study and discussion centering around research-based teaching strategies. At the end of each nine-week grading period, students get a two-hour delay so that all teachers K-12 can have shared planning and discussion time. Before attending, all peers are given a reading assignment (this year we are focusing on the revised edition of Marzano's original study Classroom Instruction That Works). The discussion is facilitated by one peer who has exhibited an affinity for the particular strategy or topic of the quarter. The format is very casual allowing for plenty of open discussion and sharing of ideas, knowledge, and resources. 

It was during our last group time that I was introduced to the beyond fabulous Web resource of Thinkport.org. I was amazed by the wealth of free, quality lesson ideas, classroom tools, and professional development videos that I discovered. I have shared a few of my particular favorites down below.

Reading Strategies
This link connects to a menu (on the right-hand side of the page) of twelve powerful reading strategies. Clicking one of the strategies allows you to explore the strategy through a video, gives examples of when and how to implement the strategy, and offers helpful hotlinks with materials that can be used during group times in order to further support the strategy. If your curiosity was not satisfied enough, then there are also additional links at the bottom of the page for other articles highlighting the effectiveness of the strategy.  

Reading Across the Curriculum Video
The reading strategies featured in this module are the ones recommended by the National Reading Panel. I appreciated how this video series stressed the importance of being able to read informational text. Reading is truly the key to academic success. From my experience, if a student only has difficulty in math, then all other subject areas are usually on track. However, students who struggle in reading quite often struggle in all academic areas as critical thinking and reading skills are so pervasive in science, social studies, and even math now. 

Graphic Organizers Galore!
This link has pages and pages of graphic organizers for free and ready use in your classroom. Each one opens in a new window for easy printing capabilities. However, I usually prefer to project mine onto the whiteboard and use this larger-than-life version to get kids excited about interactive writing. There is just something about writing on a whiteboard that never ceases to engage my early learners. 

I hope these links are as big a blessing to your classroom and personal practice as they have been to mine.

Happy Wednesday!