Would you like a list of all of the lessons that your students will need this year during writing? This free guide is packed with specific lesson ideas for narrative, opinion and informational writing.
Writing workshop is my jam! Teaching writing shouldn’t feel like a chore. In these articles, you will find helpful strategies for mini lessons, writing conferences, editing, grading, and so much more.
As a teacher, you work hard to get to know your students, build a classroom community, and learn the standards. You also have to figure out how to present your lessons. How we organize our material can determine whether our students are engaged in the lesson or are...
Have you ever felt like you and your student’s families are at odds with each other? There are seasons when the dynamics of teachers and families feel very adversarial. Maybe a family is frustrated that their child’s teacher is unable to give one-on-one attention...
If you think about your student days, what do you remember the most? For me, the strongest memories of my education are the teachers that made me feel loved, encouraged, and supported. But you know what else I remember? I remember the teachers that didn’t. What I...
I do believe that learning how to make your lessons more student-centered can make a world of difference. Here are some of my favorite strategies to get students engaged in learning.
It can be hard for teachers and families to get on the same page, but students need to know both families and teachers are on the same team: theirs. How can you make parents become partners with you in their student’s education journey?
The relationships I built outlasted the lessons I learned, and I believe the same is true of students today. Kids will try for teachers they like.
Students always want to know why they need to learn something (especially if it is difficult.) and showing them math “in the wild” is the perfect way to teach them.
What can we do in our classroom that isn’t another animated film or “filler”? I found that boring activities led to behavior problems in the classroom.
Although teachers always look for new books to read with their students, many of us have a shortlist of favorites they pull out year after year. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is on the must-read list of many middle school teachers.
I’m sharing gift ideas that won’t break your bank and don’t take a lot of time and energy. Keep your sanity intact with these easy gift ideas!
How can your students take charge of their learning – instead of you doing it all? With my Student Checklists, both your and your students can easily track!
Today we are going to discuss tips for finding time to play in your classroom.
My teacher friend introduced me to exit tickets. Instead of a general check-in with students deciding how well they understood the lesson, the tickets had just a few targeted questions – no more than 3 – that hit the core concepts.
For me, Thanksgiving is a time to slow down and focus on your blessings. To capitalize on this, I made Thankful Turkeys to help my students reflect on what they had to be thankful for.
Teaching your class about Native Americans can be a unit that everyone enjoys. But when was the last time you examined your unit and updated it?
Games are underutilized in the classroom. After all, if we can make parts of learning fun, shouldn’t we?
Using primary and secondary source documents and images in lessons provides students with opportunities to develop vocabulary, critical analysis, comparison, verbal and written expression skills.
I’ve never met a student who didn’t like to play. Even though we know kids love to play, why should we incorporate games and play in the classroom?
