Rigor Made Easy: Getting Started

by Barbara R. Blackburn

Bestselling author and noted rigor expert Barbara Blackburn shares the secrets to getting started, maintaining momentum, and reaching your goals. Learn what rigor looks like in the classroom, understand what it means for your students, and get the keys to successful implementation. Learn how to use rigor to raise expectations, provide appropriate support, and meet the Common Core State Standards - whether or not rigor is mandated in your district! This book is filled with practical, use-the-next-day strategies for all grade levels and subject areas. Use the ideas to raise the level of learning for all of your students! Also Available! linking topics in Rigor Made Easy to the Common Core!

Genres: Education

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara R. Blackburn, the godmother of the rigor movement, doesn’t disappoint in this excellent little tome on how to heighten the rigor in your classroom. She includes actual concrete steps you can take to ensure that every child in your class develops higher-order thinking skills and critical thinking. Every teacher should read this little gem.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by my principal, district ELA coach, and district math coach. What I loved about it was the "manageability" of the author's ideas and suggestions about improving the level of rigor in the classroom. It is a quick read and short introduction on the topic, but after finishing it, I came away with specific and practical ideas for lessons and projects that might increase rigor in my own classroom. The book is broken down into seven chapters, which delve into using text complexity to boost rigor, increasing complexity of tasks, how to provide support in a rigorous learning environment, using inquiry and choice to increase critical thinking, and how to raise expectations for your students. Blackburn also leaves you with two reasonable first steps to getting started with rigor, which will not take a teacher too much time (which is perfect, since time is something we just don't have enough of!). If you're wondering how to boost rigor in your own classroom, I think this would be a great book with which to 'get started!'

[Sarah Darnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a ton of great information for you to use and it's easy to implement day one. I wish the tips and ideas would be organized a bit better.