While various activity books exist in the market, it is rare to find any activity book connected to research, aligned with Common Core, NETS, and 21st Century and Skills. In addition, Student Voice: Turn Up the Volume books recognize that teachers are learners, too. The short narrative in each activity engages teachers and provides them an opportunity to expand their thinking and connect to the activities they are leading.
The three unique sections following each activity allow educators to expand, enhance, and differentiate instruction. Group Discussion supports student engagement, collaboration, and a variety of cognitive skills. Personal Reflection enhances the meaning of the depth and relevancy of each activity, encouraging students to relate the activity to their experiences and apply their learning to other contexts and settings. The final section following each activity is Extended Learning, connecting the activity to technology, for example creating iMovies, exploring new apps, and tweeting their learning.
Introductory narratives and overviews for each section are provided by Russ Quaglia.
Industry Reviews
"This activity book is a teacher's dream! It is more than clear that the authors actually talked to teachers in the creation of this resource which has it all: data driven content, group discussions, engaging student activities, personal reflection and extension opportunities, connections to technology, AND designed for flexible use to meet the needs of individual teachers. Incredible, and a MUST HAVE for every K-8 teacher!" -- Dr. Lisa Kinnaman, Executive Director "Drs. Quaglia and Corso have once again designed an extraordinary roadmap for teachers to use in guiding students to find their true voice. A research-based roadmap yes, but more importantly, a map teachers can use to guide students to find their voice through their experiences. The wonderful activities herein are inspiring, engaging and interactive and ultimately lead students to discover their own unique voice and aspirations!" -- Rich McBride, President and Executive Director "Partner the Student Voice: Turn Up the Volume K-8 and 6-12 Activity Books with Student Voice: The Instrument of Change, and the secret to turning schools and classrooms into vibrant communities of engaged learners is revealed. Quaglia, Corso, and Hellerstein have masterfully woven together a practical and relevant fabric of activities-NO EXPERIENCES-teachers can immediately use or adapt that reinforces for students the importance of relationships, active and engaging teaching and learning, and exercising a sense of responsibility over one's own goals. Thanks to these authors we now have a compendium of strategies designed to give students a meaningful voice in the educational process." -- Dr. Raymond L. Smith, Author of Improvement for the Next Generation and Evaluating Instructional Leadership "Two of the few books on education in the last several decades that have a touch of genius, Student Voice: Turn Up the Volume K-8 and 6-12 Activity Books give teachers at all levels strategies that help them build and nurture relationships with their students and make learning more engaging and relevant to students' lives, resulting in higher levels of student achievement. Quaglia, Corso, and Hellerstein provide proven strategies and impart skills, which are connected to Common Core Standards, 21st Century, and International Society for Technology requirements that can be practically and immediately applied to positively impact every student, teacher, and school leader in America." -- Dr. Julie R. Smith, Author of Evaluating Instructional Leadership: Recognized Practices for Success "Teachers are not the only leaders in the classroom. Quaglia, Corso, and Hellerstein emphasize that any person who participates in the process of learning has a voice that should be engaged in schools. This book provides a plethora of opportunities for students to influence learning, take ownership, and develop a sense of worth and belonging in the classroom. Each activity was created and designed to guide students to be determined and goal oriented, while inspiring them to establish and work toward their future goals in school and life. This brilliant book showcases what seemed to be the impossible - A collaborative connection between students' active engagement and emotional involvement in their schoolwork, while linked to the Common Core Standards, 21st Century Skills, and International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) requirements." -- Tiffany Lewis, 1st Grade Teacher "This activity book will captivate your students through meaningful and exciting social building events. It will not be gathering dust in your resource collection. It will be one of the first you grab to develop excitement and the voice of your students. It puts fun in building life skills while meeting the ASCA standards." -- Don Acker Sr., School Counselor "Engaging, insightful, and creative, this activity book provides rich tools through which students and teachers can learn about, practice, and apply the authors' principles in meaningful ways. Embedded with standards-based best practice strategies and a variety of technology applications, the activities offer an array of deeper learning experiences in a format that can be personalized for any classroom or group of students. Turn Up the Volume ensures a classroom environment in which student voice is valued and student aspirations are the focus." -- Beth Havens, Educational Consultant for Special Projects
