Teaching Content Outrageously: How to Captivate All Students and Accelerate Learning, Grades 4-12 »

Stanley Pogrow, Ph.D., is professor of Educational Leadership at¿San Francisco State University. He is best known for developing the HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) Program for accelerating the learning of underperforming Title I (economically disadvantaged) and special education students.

For teachers who struggle to connect with students who seem restless, bored, and indifferent, Teaching Content Outrageously offers the perfect antidote. In this book, Stanley Pogrow shows teachers how to transform standards-based content lessons into dynamic and "outrageous" learning experiences that leave students so enthralled and fascinated they readily meet the learning goals. Drawing from a model successfully used with underperforming students, the author introduces the "Outrageous Teaching" method showing how teachers can integrate humor, surprise, imagination, character, and dramatic storyline to create lessons that are riveting, effective, and meaningful. The book includes:

• Detailed guidance on implementing the method in any content area in grades 4-12

• Vivid classroom portraits of teachers making use of the method to teach math, science, language arts, and social studies lessons

• Advice on applying the techniques to improvediscipline and classroom management

The author reveals how all teachers can tap into their own imagination and creativity to construct lessons and units that are mesmerizing and that efficiently increase student performance on content.

Praise for Teaching Content Outrageously

"Pogrow's new book is a must-read for teachers seeking to find new ways to engage and successfully teach their students who would otherwise be left behind. The combination of cognitive science, humor, insight, techniques, and examples will make you laugh, inspire you, and give you the practical tools to create imaginative and original ways to teach key content objectives."

—Dr. Pedro Portes, director, Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education, andprofessor of education, University of Georgia

"Is holding students' attention becoming more and more difficult? Let Stanley Pogrow show you how dramatization and humor can help you teach any content far more effectively to a wary classroom audience."

—Carol Jago, teacher, Santa Monica High School,Santa Monica, CA

"Dr. Pogrow gives priceless solutions and clear methods that work for making teaching and learning more fun and effective in today's classrooms. This is the one book that should be read by all those who want to make a difference by captivating, inspiring, and empowering all learners."

—Dalia Johnson, science and Spanish teacher, middle school director,¿ MS 188, New York CityPublic Schools

About This Book

1 Why Teach Outrageously in All the Content Areas? 1

2 Perspectives on Dramatizing Content Instruction 17

3 From Discipline to Outrageous Teaching: Classroom Use of Dramatic Techniques 39

4 How to Design Outrageous Lessons: Essential Steps 69

5 Outrageous Lessons: Examples from the Classroom 89

6 Suspense and Surprise: Why Outrageous Lessons Work 143

7 Getting Started 165

8 So ... Let's Do lt! 185

App. A The Origins of Drama 193

App. B Games and Quizzes - Selected Resources 197

App. C Simulation Units - Selected Resources 201

App. D Lesson Plans for the Sample Lessons 207

App. E Teaching Outrageously in the Early Grades 221

References 225

Index 229