ThatQuiz is a great resource for teachers and students! Here’s a quick breakdown of what it can do for a classroom teacher: Create quizzes of various types. Maintain a class/student list to track progress. Students are able to use independently and access outside of school. Grades and averages for the quizzes are kept for you. You […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
A Veteran Teacher’s Regrets: Student Choice
In my classroom, I integrated student choice whenever I could. We did reading workshop every Friday, when students read an independent reading book of their choice. Whenever we did a personal essay or literary analysis paper, I let students choose their own topics and ideas. I started doing I-Search papers, where students chose their own […]
Posted inFeatured
Letting Students Have a Say In What They Learn
We started our school year this week, and I have a small class of very eager kids. They love to learn, want to participate in everything and have some great ideas of their own. As I stood in class moving from one activity to another, I was preparing to ask my students what THEY hoped […]
Posted inBack to School
First, We Must Educate The Heart
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” – Aristotle Teachers, have you thought about this challenge? How will you educate the heart this year? Childhood – especially the middle school years – can seem like a crazy-making manic time for kids. One minute they’re sweet young and innocent, most interested […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Why Choice Matters: Reading as a Matter of Social Justice
Once upon a time I was a high school American Literature teacher who believed in the survey method of “these are the canonical works that all students should read before they leave high school.” I spent years patting myself on the back for getting struggling readers to love The Crucible, Of Mice and Men, and The Great Gatsby. We […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
I Don’t Teach To the Test, But I Still Play the Game
If you “teach to the test,” you are a slave to the system, right? I personally despise standardized tests, and in fact, when it comes to high school English classes, I would do away with midterms, final exams, and most typical tests altogether if I could. But since I do have to play the game, I […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Part 3: Adventures in Real Word English/Language Arts – Let Them Be Great
I love English Language Arts (ELA), but real world ELA can be eye opening. I have been teaching my Technical Writing class for two weeks now. And I have had my share of ups and downs. I’ve always taken myself seriously as an educator. My love of literature and writing always translates easily into the classroom. […]
Posted inChild Development, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Group Work and the Introverted Student
“As children, our classroom desks are increasingly arranged in pods, the better to foster group learning, and research suggests that the vast majority of teachers believe that the ideal students is an extrovert.” -Susan Cain Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking (pg. 6) How often do we as teachers assign group projects and […]