Projecting Possibilities for Writers: The How, What, and Why of Designing Units of Study, K-5
More than anything I ve read in ages, Matt and Mary Alice skillfully balance the need for clarity and direction in a unit of study with every teacher s hope to be responsive to individuals with a wide range of needs as writers. They show through sharp, clear examples how teachers of writing can differentiate for each child while maintaining the big picture direction for the whole community of writers.Matt and Mary Alice tackle the dilemma of planning meaningfully for young writers in the context of the Common Core State Standards and prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that teachers can adhere to the standards and still project units of study based on the students right in front of them. The planning process they propose will become a habit of mind for teachers an inquiry process that encourages students to explore and notice what great writers do while operating within a manageable framework of the unit projection.It is not surprising that Matt and Mary Alice are able, in this book, to provide teachers with the kind of clarity in unit planning that takes them beyond scripts and kits. They have worked together for years with an extraordinary passion for understanding and responding to each child but they have also worked within a district and state that have, as they all do, policies and prescribed practices that limit teachers decision making. They see their way through that quagmire and take teachers right along with them allowing us to maintain the integrity of student-centered instruction in a one-size-fits-all world.---Ellin Oliver Keene,coauthor of Mosaic of ThoughtInProjecting Possibilities,Matt Glover and Mary Alice Berry provide teachers with a clear, practical guide to designing units of study. Even more than that, they describe how thoughtful, inspired teaching depends on teachers having ownership of decision-making in planning curriculum. This book is a handbook for how teachers can reclaim agency in their teaching.--Carl Anderson,author ofHow's It Going?In Projecting Possibilities, Matt Glover and Mary Alice Berry provide teachers with a clear, practical guide to designing units of study. Even more than that, they describe how thoughtful, inspired teaching depends on teachers having ownership of decision-making in planning curriculum. This book is a handbook for how teachers can reclaim agency in their teaching. --Carl AndersonIn Projecting Possibilities, Matt Glover and Mary Alice Berry provide teachers with a clear, practical guide to designing units of study. Even more than that, they describe how thoughtful, inspired teaching depends on teachers having ownership of decision-making in planning curriculum. This book is a handbook for how teachers can reclaim agency in their teaching. --Carl Anderson