Michael W. Smith – författare

Critical thinking and online reading need to go hand in hand—but they often don’t. Students click, swipe, and believe because they don’t know how to do otherwise. At times, so do we. And that’s a problem. Fighting Fake News combats this challenge by helping you model how to read, myth-bust, truth-test, and respond in ways that lead to wisdom rather than reactivity.

No matter what content you teach, the lessons showcased here provide engaging, collaborative reading and discussion experiences so students can:

We are still in the wild west era of the digital age, scrambling to impart a safer, ethical framework for evaluating information. Thankfully, it distills to one mission: teach students (and ourselves) how to think critically, and we will forever have the tools to fight fake news.

Empower your students to unlock the hidden power of fiction

Fiction has the unique power to unlock a profound way of knowing the world, yet many learners struggle to understand and connect with literature on a deeper level. Building on the game-changing strategies from their bestselling Diving Deep Into Nonfiction, renowned educators Jeffrey D. Wilhelm and Michael W. Smith introduce a revolutionary framework that demystifies fiction for adolescent readers. This book empowers teachers to show students how to recognize the Rules of Notice—the conventions that signal what's important in a text—and analyze key literary elements like genre, character, point of view, symbolism, and theme. The essential mental models in the book will guide students as they read and write fictional texts. When students learn to pay attention to these signals, they begin to unlock the rich, complex worlds that fiction offers.

This practical guide provides everything you need to help students become more competent and confident readers of fiction. Inside, you'll find:

With this book, you'll gain the tools to teach your students how to read fiction with intention and insight, giving them the confidence to navigate complex texts and discover the connections between literature and their own lives.

Let’s face it, weak rivets notwithstanding, the Titanic wouldn’t have sunk if the iceberg had been spotted in time. And let’s face it, the CCSS won’t be classroom-worthy unless practitioners chart our course. Depend on Michael Smith, Deborah Appleman, and Jeff Wilhelm to help you navigate through some potentially treacherous waters. Uncommon Core puts us on high-alert about some outright dangerous misunderstandings looming around so-called  “standards-aligned” instruction, then shows us how to steer past them—all in service of meeting the real intent of the Common Core. Smith, Appleman, and Wilhelm counter with teaching suggestions that are true to the research and true to our students, including how:

Given the number of strategies, lesson ideas, and activities in the book, Uncommon Core is really less about the standards and more about timeless, excellent teaching and how to use it like never before to meet the Core ideals. Let’s put instruction where it belongs: back in the hands of the experts.

“Finally! A book with more light than heat on the issue of standards and their implications for learning.” --GRANT WIGGINS Coauthor of Understanding by Design