[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] Do you have a student who just can’t seem to follow a set of directions, no matter how simple they may seem? Or one who seems to drift from one assignment […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
Differentiating with Alternative Assessments
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] We’ve all seen those long lists of activities to give a class as an alternative assessment. You read through the list, for example on a site like TeachHub, you pick out […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
What’s A Kid to Do: Implementing Literacy Centers Using Guided Reading
Guided Reading is a strategy used in elementary classrooms around the United States for reading instruction. Teachers listen to students read and determine their individual reading level, group students according to fluency and comprehension needs, and teach reading and writing skills within these small groups. You can use canned programs with lesson plans provided, find […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, Interviews, School Improvement
Inspirational Educators: Tom McNamara, "The Sockman"
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] I read a small article in The Week magazine about Tom McNamara, also known as “The Sockman.” This retired special education teacher from Illinois found a new calling – collecting a […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Opinion
Looking at the 'Small' Picture
My family and I attend Lifechurch.tv. Now don’t stop reading and get offended because I’ve thrown a church reference in there. This isn’t going to be churchy. Or preachy. Or holier-than-thou. This month’s series is over Small Things, Big Differences. And although Pastor Craig IS focusing on a more church-appropriate message, I have been thinking […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum
The Power of Current Events
It seems recently that there has been more of an explicit push in education to connect the content to the students themselves. Why should they care about what’s going on in the classroom? How does it impact them personally in their homes, communities, and nation? How can they use it beyond the test? Where a […]
Posted inCommon Core, Literacy, Mathematics
English/LA Can Persevere with Math Practice Standard #1
I admit that I am the first to have heart palpitations the moment I hear a problem begin, “A train leaves a station 500 miles east of the city traveling at 60 m.p.h…..”. Yet given time, I am confident I can calculate the answer to a word problem, in part because my early teaching career […]
Posted inFeatured, Parents
Homework: It’s Not Just for Kids Anymore
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] As an elementary teacher and parent of three, I am not a believer in homework. I am, however, a huge believer in learning. I am a huge believer in doing […]