Planning Powerful Instruction, Grades 6-12

A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Jeffrey D. Wilhelm is currently Professor of English Education at Boise State University. He works in local schools as part of a Virtual Professional Development Site Network sponsored by the Boise State Writing Project, and regularly teaches middle and high school students. Jeff is the founding director of the Maine Writing Project and the Boise State Writing Project.  After 8 years as a classroom teacher, Rachel Bear spent two years as co-director of the Idaho Core Coaches for the Idaho State Department of Education, supporting teachers in implementing the Next Generation Standards. She currently is a Senior Program Associate for the National Writing Project (NWP). Her work at NWP involves supporting the College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP), which focuses on improving academic writing in rural school districts. Adam Fachler is a strategist, coach, and consultant for Pre-K-12 teachers and educational leaders throughout New York. Formerly a middle school teacher, staff developer, and intern principal, he left the classroom in 2014 to co-found the School in the Square, a public charter school in Washington Heights. In addition to creating the EMPOWER framework, Adam is also a leading expert in Thinking Maps®—a visual language for learning—and leads acclaimed regional certification workshops in the methodology. In all his work, Adam strives to provide educators with the engaging professional development that they deserve. Adam lives with his wife Liz in Brooklyn, NY.

• AcknowledgmentsAbout the AuthorsIntroductionPART 1: TRANSFORMATIVE PLANNING AND INSTRUCTIONChapter 1. What’s at Stake? Teaching Toward Expertise— With a Sense of UrgencyChapter 2. Making the Shift From Informational to Transformational TeachingChapter 3. Introduction to the EMPOWER CanvasPART 2: ENVISIONING AND MAPPINGChapter 4. Envisioning the Destination Through Principled Planning ProtocolsChapter 5. Mapping the Path to Mastery Through Task DeconstructionPART 3: PRIMING AND ORIENTINGChapter 6. Priming Learners Through Caring Community and Collaborative Classroom Culture: A Prerequisite “Must-Make Move” for ICAChapter 7. Framing the Future Challenge: Priming and Orienting Learning Through Essential QuestionsChapter 8. Preparing Students for Success: Priming and Orienting Learning Through FrontloadingPART 4: WALKING THROUGH, EXTENDING, AND EXPLORINGChapter 9. Seeing Is Believing—and Understanding: Walking Students Through With Visualization StrategiesChapter 10. Navigating New Terrain: Walking Students Through With Think-Aloud StrategiesChapter 11. The Quest Is to Powerfully Question! Walking Students Through Expert Questioning StrategiesChapter 12. Setting Up Learners for Successful Collaboration: Walking Through and Extending Expertise With Collaborative Group StructuresChapter 13. To Speak, to Be Heard, to Listen, and to Learn: Extending Expertise With Discussions That Promote Deeper UnderstandingPART 5: REFLECTINGChapter 14. Moving Into the Future: Reflecting Through Assessments for and as LearningChapter 15. Bringing It All Together: Extending, Exploring, and Reflecting Through Culminating Projects and AssessmentsConcluding ThoughtsReferences and ResourcesIndex