Widening the Circle

Widening the Circle
Author: Mara Sapon-Shevin
Publisher: Beacon Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2007-03-15
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0807032816

Widening the Circle is a passionate, even radical argument for creating school and classroom environments where all kids, including children labeled as “disabled” and “special needs,” are welcome on equal terms. In opposition to traditional models of special education, where teachers decide when a child is deemed “ready to compete” in “mainstream” classes, Mara Sapon-Shevin articulates a vision of full inclusion as a practical and moral goal. Inclusion, she argues, begins not with the assumption that students have to earn their way into the classroom with their behavior or skills, it begins with the right of every child to be in the mainstream of education, perhaps with modifications, adaptations, and support. Full inclusion requires teachers to think about all aspects of their classrooms—pedagogy, curriculum, and classroom climate. Crucially, Sapon-Shevin takes on arguments against full inclusion in a section of straight-talking answers to common questions. She agrees with critics that the rhetoric of inclusion has been used to justify eliminating services and “dumping” students with significant educational needs unceremoniously back into the mainstream with little or no support. If full inclusion is properly implemented, however, she argues, it not only clearly benefits those traditionally excluded but enhances the educations and lives of those considered mainstream in myriad ways. Through powerful storytelling and argument, Sapon-Shevin lays out the moral and educational case for not separating kids on the basis of difference.

Expanding Reading Comprehension in Grades 3–6

Expanding Reading Comprehension in Grades 3–6
Author: Katherine A. Dougherty Stahl
Publisher: Guilford Publications
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2022-03-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1462549365

Students in grades 3–6 need to use increasingly sophisticated comprehension skills and strategies as they read and build knowledge across disciplinary content areas. Grounded in research, this book presents effective practices for integrating literacy instruction with literature, science, and social studies. Chapters address text selection, vocabulary development, strategy instruction, discussion formats, writing to express and expand comprehension, assessment, and more. Ways to meet the needs of emergent bilingual and culturally diverse students are highlighted throughout. Ideal for preservice and inservice teachers and professional staff development, the book includes classroom vignettes, text boxes with easy-to-read instructional procedures, and curriculum resources. Helpful reproducible forms can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. See also the authors' related book on the primary grades: Developing Reading Comprehension: Effective Instruction for All Students in PreK-2.

The Widening Circle of Us

The Widening Circle of Us
Author: Peter Francis
Publisher: University of Chester
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2021-09-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1910481343

The Widening Circle of Us is personal, political and theological. Peter Francis charts his own ‘widening’ from a privileged beginning with an unquestioning naïve faith, to a liberal understanding of faith and society. He now believes that Christianity is best viewed as a completely non-supernatural ethic for life. The memoir weaves his personal story alongside his passion for the humanity of Jesus and writes about the battles for inclusion that have shaped his life and ministry. It is an honest reflection on his life as a priest in England, Scotland and Wales, including nearly 25 years as Warden of Gladstone’s Library, where his ‘widening’ continues with responding to the Gladstone legacy of historic slavery in the wake of Black Lives Matter.