The Competent Classroom : Aligning High School Curriculum, Standards, and Assessment--A Creative Teaching Guide [Paperback]

Allison Zmuda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2001 | ISBN-10: 0807740225 | ISBN-13: 978-0807740224

“Good books have a way of illuminating incidents so that one’s own experiences come in to sharper focus. This was certainly the case for me while reading this accessible and very important book.” --Patricia Wasley, from the Foreword

Written by teachers for teachers, this enlightening book describes the cross-disciplinary journey of two high school teachers trying to align curriculum, assessment, and performance standards in their classrooms. With a focus on the importance of constantly inspiring students, the authors troubleshoot issues surrounding content standards, instructional objectives, and the aims of curriculum. This user-friendly guide:

Helps readers consider the main concepts surrounding creative teaching and ways of helping students take ownership of their learning

Provides insight into what it takes for teachers to learn about, work with, and benefit from standards work

Gives teachers practical advice for achieving greater success in the classroom

Targets the connections between essential questions, content, assessments, and performance standards

This creative and informative guide will inspire any educator who wrestles with how to make classroom learning meaningful to students and who cares about academic achievement and success.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Allison Zmuda is a social studies teacher at Newtown High School in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Mary Tomaino taught English for 32 years before retiring to write and spend time with her family.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Teachers College Press (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807740225
• ISBN-13: 978-0807740224
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #409,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for teachers, May 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Competent Classroom : Aligning High School Curriculum, Standards, and Assessment--A Creative Teaching Guide (Paperback)

I used this book to help me as a beginning instructor at an Ivy League college and found it a helpful, engaging, and inspiring resource. Unlike high school teachers, many college-level instructors receive little training before beginning classroom instruction. This book helps teachers set and realize classroom goals. It teaches teachers how to ask effective questions-- of their students and of themselves. For teachers who want advice on how to structure a class and to facilitate discussions in any classroom, I highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Condition, September 5, 2010

By 

katysu "katysu" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Competent Classroom : Aligning High School Curriculum, Standards, and Assessment--A Creative Teaching Guide (Paperback)

It came in a nice amount of time, and it's brand new, just like it's supposed to be.

5.0 out of 5 stars Theory Meets Practice, May 3, 2009

By 

Amy Greenberg "avid reader" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Competent Classroom : Aligning High School Curriculum, Standards, and Assessment--A Creative Teaching Guide (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for showing teachers through practice how the principles of backwards design, assessment, and differentiation of instruction can be applied. As an Education professor, I often use this book to take aspiring teachers from theory to practice. it is written in teacher-friendly language, and it provides rich examples across all content areas to both inspire teachers and model for them. This book, combined with Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understanding By Design by Carol Ann Tomlinson and Jay McTighe, provides an excellent basis for best educational practices. I highly recommend both books to be used together.