New Releases by Lori Elliott

At the heart of veteran educator Lori Elliott''s passion for project-based learning is the belief that the more students can actually "live" the content or concept, the more deeply they''ll learn the ideas and, in turn, love learning. PBL fosters the real-world skills our students need to thrive in the world outside the classroom. And the best part about PBL? It can happen anywhere. As virtual and distance learning step into the spotlight, teachers need more innovative ways to keep students engaged. Tapping into her twenty-five years of experience, Elliott explores PBL''s many benefits and empowers educators who might feel daunted by the prospect of introducing it into their teaching. This accessible book offers practical strategies to implement PBL, including step-by-step instructions for envisioning, overseeing, and evaluating PBL instructional units. Whether you''re a new teacher who''s curious to learn more about project-based learning or a longtime educator looking to make your units even more amazing, this book is your go-to toolkit. "Lori provides practical steps, strategies, and valuable tips to make [PBL] not only doable but fun for both you and your students. Reading this book, you''ll feel like Lori is sitting right there with you, cheering you on, helping you implement PBL in your classrooms like a pro." -Matt Halpern, teacher, blogger, author "If you''re looking for THE book to help you get started with project-based learning, look no further! These concepts and strategies, paired with Lori''s passion for the subject, make this a must-read selection for all educators!" -Adam Peterson, motivational speaker and author of Teach, Play, Learn! "Lori''s voice, passion, and practical experience shine through in this guidebook. She helps teachers understand and internalize PBL thinking in a way that impacts their instruction even when not engaged in a PBL unit." -Macaire McDonough-Davies, principal, Deerwood Elementary School, Kingwood, Texas

Project Based Learning for Real Kids and Real Teachers is the essential handbook for teachers wanting to implement PBL in their classrooms. Written in a personal, down to earth style, the focus is on what the students are doing and learning, not how cute the product will be in the end. Unlike other resources, it addresses the common concerns and realistic challenges teachers face when trying PBL so that teachers can "buy in" to this engaging way of teaching, without spending lots of money and spending hours creating things that are not necessary. Teachers will discover that PBL is not an "extra thing" to do at the end of a unit, but rather it is HOW students learn standards and objectives. Includes nine ready-to-go classroom-tested units for K-2.

Lori Elliott is the wife of a pastor, holds a full-time job and is a mother of four, including a special needs child. Although motherhood can be overwhelming, stressful and chaotic, there are those magical moments when the joy and humor you find make all the craziness seem worthwhile. She occasionally gets five minutes of quiet, and uses her blog as therapy. So far she has come up with the following rules for motherhood: 1) Running away doesn''t solve anything--you''ll miss the chaos and go back before you thought you would. 2) Don''t sweat the small stuff, like housework. The dishes can wait. 3) When you get overwhelmed, try to have a sense of humor, take a breath and let it go. 4) Life doesn''t go the way you planned, so trust in God to take you where you need to be. If we trust in God, even when we can''t see where he is leading us, we receive unexpected blessings that we wouldn''t have dreamed to ask for!

Lori has explored the universe of apps to find those that truly support meaningful learning in the classroom every day and in multiple ways. Use her discoveries to create engaging, effective lessons. Follow her tips to assess iPad work and keep students accountable, and quickly evaluate new apps with her simple checklist. Take your iPad use way beyond gadgets and games!

Differentiated Instruction, Second Edition Different Strategies for Different Learners Lori Elliott, Char Forsten, Jim Grant & Betty Hollas This new, expanded edition includes 119 low-cost, high-impact, ready-to-implement strategies to help you build community, assess on the fly, find new pathways to mastery in literacy and math, use technology to differentiate, and much more. Reproducibles included.

Accidental Techie to the Rescue! Simple Tech Solutions for Your Biggest Classroom Challenges Lori Elliott, EdD, "The Accidental Techie" "Accidental Techie" and former teacher Lori Elliott has researched loads of great websites so you don''t have to. You''ll learn how to use technology to engage students, build collaboration skills, interact with classrooms around the globe, and more. With Lori as your guide and technology as a tool, you and your students will reach new heights of enthusiasm and learning. (K-6) 224 pp. #550227 $26.95