As I slowly walked down the hallway to my classroom I told myself, “Last school year was a complete disaster but this year is going to be different!” If I could paint a picture of the students that I had last year, it would look like a scene from Major Payne. Every morning when I […]
Instruction & Curriculum
I Remember When Teachers Were Allowed to Teach Their Passions
There are few things that I enjoy more than getting students to question, analyze, write about, discuss, and, ultimately, clarify their own views on complicated questions. It reminds me of my own history teachers in high school and how they communicated their passions to us students. In one class, we were supposed to study American history […]
By Not Allowing Your Children to Fail You Are Making Their Brains Smaller
Dear Parent or Guardian: This letter is to inform you that your student will likely fail soon. They might not fail a class, or even a quiz or a homework assignment, but they will fail at something. They will also make mistakes, get feedback on those mistakes, and then make some new mistakes. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ […]
Supporting Kids with Anxiety in the Elementary Classroom
Guest Post by: Cindy Bourdo, NBCT As each new school year begins, I seem to get a few more students than the previous year in my classroom who suffer from anxiety. It is not always a formal diagnosis, but I usually hear about it from previous teachers or parents just giving me a “heads up” which […]
36 Weeks of Tech: Twitter
In this series, #36weeksoftech, I will review tech tools in my classroom. I will give you my honest opinion and some pros and cons as seen through the eyes of my experience as a teacher. This is my 21st year of teaching and I teach all subject areas in my fourth-grade classroom. Using technology is […]
Why Poetry Is So Great for Teaching Growth Mindset
When she first studied students to learn about how a growth mindset can be instilled in people, Carol Dweck gave kids puzzles. After successfully completing the somewhat easy puzzles, one group of kids was praised for their effort while the other was praised for their talent at puzzles or for being “good at puzzles.” Thus […]
Teach Like Someone is Watching–Because Someone is Always Watching
Do you ever feel that you aren’t teaching at your best? Not that you are deliberately not trying, but that you aren’t being deliberate about how you teach all of the time? Sometimes I go home and think about how the day has gone and realize, that I could have done better. So what, right? […]
And then, the Plot Mountain Blows its Lid Off!
You probably have encountered the plot mountain diagram: Exposition. Rising action. Climax. Falling action. Resolution. The plot mountain diagram is taught with short stories in English Language Arts at different grade levels, but I suspect that like most graphic organizers, the plot mountain diagram is over-taught, especially in […]