Keeping the Wonder: An Educator's Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful Learning

by Jenna Copper, Ashley Bible, Abigail Gross

Embarking on your first solo road trip. Receiving a special surprise that arrives out of the blue. Finding a sudden flash of inspiration that sets you on a wondrous new path. When we think about the moments that stand out in our memory, it’s clear that our minds hold onto the unusual or unexpected. By tapping into students’ innate curiosity, you can design memorable, meaningful learning experiences that captivate their interest and ignite their imaginations. Structured around four key elements that fuel engagement—surprise, curiosity, freedom, and inspiration—Keeping the Wonder offers practical strategies and abundant inspiration for K-12 educators to create lessons that are fun and compelling. Combining enchanting anecdotes, real-world experience, and a wealth of research, the authors share their collective expertise as educators and founders of the innovative Keeping the Wonder workshop. In this dynamic handbook, Jenna, Ashley, Abby, and Staci offer a fresh approach to learning through the lens of wonder. By providing creative ideas for switching up standard lesson plans in ways both subtle and profound, they show us how to recapture our fascination with the world by employing all of our senses, and enhance engagement and critical thinking for students and teachers alike. Before reading Keeping the Wonder, I saw my social studies classroom for what it brick walls, desks, and a few colorful posters. Today, I see magic seeping through the cracks of every space. Keeping the Wonder reignited my assion for student engagement and learning with every turn of the page. — Dr. Jacob Bauer Zebley , high school social studies teacher and 2015 Cecil County Teacher of the Year From personal stories, practical advice, and research-based strategies, Keeping the Wonder is a book you will reach for time and again. After reading, you’ll start looking not just at your own classroom and curriculum through the lens of wonder, but the world around you. A must read for any teacher who is looking to bring that sense of curiosity and love of learning back into their classroom. — Caitlin Mitchell and Jessica Cannata , cofounders of EB Academics and bestselling authors of The Empowered ELA Teacher Abby, Ashley, Jenna, and Staci have written the book that all educators have been waiting inspiration to (re)invigorate their classroom instruction while providing rigor, depth, and synthesis with their approach to specific lessons. From the awesome workshops they have conducted for years, drawing educators from around the nation in droves, these amazing educators have proven they are rock stars. Reimagining how we teach and engage our students is a priority, and Keeping the Wonder gives practitioners permission to create wonder, curiosity, and, yes, fun, in the classroom! — Dr. Angelyne Collins , library media specialist, Brookwood High School, 2021 Gwinnett Media Specialist of the Year, and 2020 Georgia Library Media Association Exemplary Media Program If there ever were “perfect timing,” it might be right now for this practical yet truly inspirational book! Whether you are beginning a career in teaching, or just returning after long periods of “virtual” practice, this book has a spark for everyone. From ideas for catchy repurposed furniture to provide an engaging atmosphere to instructional strategies grounded in research-based practices, consider “the wonder” of this new book! Become a Wonder Maker and bring curiosity, surprise, freedom, and inspiration to your teaching practice! — Nate Ridgway and Dr. Angelia Ridgway , coauthors, Don’t Ditch that Differentiation in a Digital World

Genres: Professional Development

264 pages, Paperback

Published July 21, 2021

Reviews

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need a true break during the summer, I do, but I also need summer to get me excited about teaching again in the fall, so I choose my reading and professional development carefully. This book delivers. It's written from the perspective of high school English teachers, but their passion and ideas are absolutely transferable to other grades and ages. I finished this (after heavy annotating and note-taking) and immediately opened up my laptop to capture my thinking and do a little planning. And it didn't feel like work, really; it felt like joy. 20+ years in, the joy is what keeps me coming back to the classroom.

[Annie J (The History Solarium Book Club) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeping the Wonder Inspired Educators with Practical Strategies and Fresh Perspectives

With the current rhetoric around the teaching profession coupled with the day-to-day responsibilities of being an educator, maintaining a passion for the job can feel next-to-impossible. However, “Keeping the Wonder” does just that. Filled with practical, ready-to-use strategies, teachers will not only be able to immediately make adjustments to their lesson planning and classroom dynamics but will also become inspired again. The mix of research and personal anecdotes works well to help readers understand the data behind the various approaches as well as be able to envision the ideas for their own use.

[K.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator, this book was confirmation of many of the practices that I already employed within my classroom, but it really helped to create and generate additional ideas to foster that curiosity and keep the wonder within the room, not only for myself but my students. Great read and would recommend to any teacher or those thinking of going into profession or wanting to understand more what it can be like.

[Julie McKenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time reading this book because I never wanted it to end! It was amazing getting to read a book by 4 amazing women who I got the chance to meet (and was taught by one in college)! 100% recommended this book even if you aren't a teacher or going to school to be a teacher. It made me think back to how I was taught throughout school

[Sarah Boselovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was fantastic. It was unique compared to other teacher PD books I’ve read, plus I liked how much it focused on elements of PL (without even mentioning them!) in regards to an ELA classroom.

[Heather Dedie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource!