Captivate, Activate, and Invigorate the Student Brain in Science and Math, Grades 6-12

Banish boredom once and for all!

If your STEM lessons are falling on disinterested ears, it′s time to mix things up. What you need are more engaging, brain-based science and math strategies to captivate your students′ attention, activate their prior knowledge, and invigorate their interest.

Blending current research on the student brain with practical methods for teaching science and math, John Almarode and Ann M. Miller identify six essential "ingredients" in a recipe for student success. In their book you′ll discover

• A customizable framework you can use right away
• Classroom-ready, content-specific attention grabbers
• Overt and covert strategies to boost behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement
• Techniques for making relevant connections that maximize retention

With this new approach to captivating STEM lessons, you′ll energize classroom time and keep your students on task and engaged—every day.

"This book links a wealth of best practices in lesson design to the latest research on how the brain learns new information."
—Edward C. Nolan, PreK-12 Content Specialist, Mathematics
Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD

"This book is a must-read for teachers of math or science who want to increase student achievement and create meaningful learning experiences!"
—Melissa Miller, Science Instructor
Lynch Middle School, Farmington, AR

Dr. John Almarode is a bestselling author and an Associate Professor of Education at James Madison University. He was awarded the inaugural Sarah Miller Luck Endowed Professorship in 2015 and received an Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council for Higher Education in Virginia in 2021. Before his academic career, John started as a mathematics and science teacher in Augusta County, Virginia. As an author, John has written multiple educational books focusing on science and mathematics, and he has co-created a new framework for developing, implementing, and sustaining professional learning communities called PLC+. Dr. Almarode′s work has been presented to the US Congress, the Virginia Senate, and the US Department of Education. John and his colleagues have also focused a lot of attention on the process of implementation – taking evidence-based practices and moving them from intention to implementation, potential to impact through a series of on-your-feet-guides around PLCs, Visible Learning, Visible Teaching, and the SOLO Taxonomy. Ann M. Miller has had the privilege of working as an educator and staff developer for many years.  She is currently the Coordinator of Elementary Instruction and Professional development K-12 for Waynesboro Public Schools.   Ann began her career teaching Special Education for Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES in Cayuga County, New York.  She focused her efforts on emotionally disturbed students before making a successful transition to the position of Instructional Specialist.  Ann became a member of an elite team of staff development leaders where her enthusiasm, knowledge and approachable style helped to develop strong productive learning communities within nine different school divisions.  Her extensive knowledge about teaching, student engagement and how children learn has provided a strong instructional foundation needed to design, facilitate and implement relevant and meaningful learning opportunities for a wide range of audiences.  Ann truly loves her career but she would be the first to tell you how truly blessed she is to have a loving and supportive husband, three caring children, and four terrific grandchildren.  Everyone should be so lucky