Esquith says, “I want students to be able to write well not because of the test coming up, but because writing will help them for the rest of their lives, whether they are applying for college or a job.”, and he is right. I also, agree with Esquith, teachers and parent do have their work cut out, and we must get over the hurdles and through the roadblocks to find strategies and activities that help children become better writers. Esquith’s weekly essays and his set up for this assignment is a great way to help children become better writers. I like the way Esquith has his class do monthly book reports, and giving them an example of one as a guideline in the beginning is an awesome idea. Helping students prepare outlines, as a group in class, is also a great way to help them learn to develop great essays and book reports. I have seen some elementary students’ books from a program like The Young Authors Project. This is a great way to encourage children to write and help them to become better writers. I wish for my children and future students to have opportunities to participate in an Young Authors Program.
I agree with Esquith, the drill-and-kill strategy only makes life easier for teachers. But is this an effective way to teach math? I like the way Esquith uses the activities, Buzz, A Mental Math Warm Up, and Marcy Cook Tile Problems, as alternatives to the kill-and-drill programs. Esquith points out these few effective ways to teach during the math period. However, there is a ton of ways to make math fun and children’s learning successful.
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