People: Think Models for Collaborative Model Building

Carol Koechlin, Sandi Zwaan, and David V. Loertscher; Hi Willow Research and Publishing; 2009; ISBN: 978-1-933170-46-6; $38.00

Three of the most common topics covered in school curriculum involve people, places and issues. If teacher librarians could make a major difference in transforming bird units in just these three areas across the grade level, we would have established a major beachhead in our march toward the center of teaching and learning. In each of the three volumes, the authors have collected their best ideas from all they have written and built over the past ten years; have re-examined each example of a transformed learning experience; and have inspected and transformed the Big Think strategies for each recommended learning experience. So, facing any one of the major topics, these volumes provide many many ideas for the teacher librarian and the classroom teacher to preview as they plan to transform a particular learning experience in their school. Convenience is the key here: one common topic; many ideas in the precious time available for planning. Also for convenience, we have reprinted the 18 Think models from Beyond Those Bird Units in an appendix, so you need not be shuffling through various books to find something you are looking for. A handy trio.