50 Essential Lessons: Tools and Techniques for Teaching English Language Arts (Firsthand) [Paperback]

Jim Burke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 20, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0325008574 | ISBN-13: 978-0325008578

50 Essential Lessons is the result of the lessons Jim Burke learned while asking himself how to teach his students the skills they needed to succeed in school and in the larger world. Anchored in standards shared by a range of national literacy documents, these lessons focus on the core cognitive and personal skills - reading, writing, speaking and listening, taking notes, taking tests, and managing oneself - required on state tests and college entrance exams. Whether used to enhance your English Language Arts curriculum or as a stand-alone resource, 50 Essential Lessons will help you teach your students the academic essentials.

Components:

• 50 Essential Lessons (book of lessons) presents 50 standards-based lessons organized around the cognitive and personal skills students need for success in school and beyond.
• Tools and Texts for 50 Essential Lessons provides a bank of teaching tools and lesson-related readings in a clear, reproducible format.
• Tools for 50 Essential Lessons CD - ROM organizes the charts, forms, and other teaching tools in an electronic format that is easy to scan and print.

Key Features

• Lesson preview notes situate the lesson into your English Language Arts curriculum and provide the information needed to jump in and get started.
• The Teach section of each lesson offers Jim's teaching demonstration, chronicling his teaching moves and language in a model lesson.
• The Assess and Extend section of each lesson lists strategies for reinforcing or extending student learning and plans to help you tailor the lesson to the needs of your particular students.

Learn more about 50 Essential Lessons by visiting http://www.50essentiallessons.com.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jim Burke is the author of the Heinemann title What's the Big Idea? The question he's always tried to answer is "How can we teach our students better?" He began this search in his own classroom at Burlingame High School in California, where he still teaches. He shares his experiences there in bestselling professional titles with Heinemann such as The English Teacher's Companion; Reading Reminders; and Writing Reminders as well as through Heinemann Professional Development Services. Looking to his peers for still more answers, he founded the English Companion Ning, described by Education Week as "the world's largest English department." Jim continues to find and support best practices in many other ways, including serving on national commissions related to adolescent literacy and standards, such as the Advanced Placement English Literature and Language Course and Exam Review Commission with the College Board, and by being a senior author on the Holt McDougal Harcourt Literature series. Jim has received numerous awards, including the NCTE Intellectual Freedom Award, the NCTE Conference on English Leadership Award, and the California Reading Association Hall of Fame Award. He served on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards Committee on Adolescence and Young Adulthood English Language Arts Standards and recently worked with ACT on their high school English Language Arts standards. In 2007, he participated in the national Adolescent Literacy Coalition roundtable and worked with the Partnership for 21st Century Skills. Visit his website (www.englishcompanion.com) for more information.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: FirstHand (November 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0325008574
• ISBN-13: 978-0325008578
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars usually against pre-written lessons, February 4, 2007

By 

dmh (Queens, NY) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 50 Essential Lessons: Tools and Techniques for Teaching English Language Arts (Firsthand) (Paperback)

I'm usually against pre-written lessons. Teachers are not robots! Jim Burke holds a lot of credibility for me, though, so I purchased this book. It's a wonderful opportunity to see inside the mind of this master teacher. I find it more helpful than his "English Teacher's Companion" because everything is broken down a lot more here. ("English Teacher's Companion" was too advanced for me to use at this point in my teaching.) As a new teacher, I need a lot of help, and I can see myself using this book in long-term planning and also as a "Crap! What am I doing TOMORROW?!?" resource. The lessons are not meant to be used exactly as is but adapted to fit the needs of the teachers. There's also an included book of Teaching Tools (graphic organizers) that I haven't had time to look at yet. This book is not cheap, but I think it's worth the dough.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars English/Avid teacher, May 6, 2007

By 

Norma C. Reyes - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 50 Essential Lessons: Tools and Techniques for Teaching English Language Arts (Firsthand) (Paperback)

This is a great tool to use in any type of English class. I use this with my support kids and found that it really helps all of us. It helps me, a first year teacher, to focus on goals. It helps my kids understand certain skills that is necessary for them to learn.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 50 Essential Lessons, January 29, 2011

By 

Mrs. P - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 50 Essential Lessons: Tools & Techniques for Teaching English Language Arts, Grades 9-12, CD ROM included (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book and CD ROM. The handouts are time-saving and relevant. The CD makes clear and clean original copies. A must-have for 9-12 English teachers.