This is my second year trying Literature Circles with my students. The first time, two years ago, I had seniors. They were extremely motivated and self-sufficient. I gave them a checklist of things I wanted them to produce, I sat in on their discussions, and they went really well. This year I am trying it […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Kindergarten Readiness: 10 Things Your Child Should Know
It’s almost Kindergarten readiness screening time for my school, and it is exciting to see the new faces that will walk through our doors come September. But it can also be a very frustrating time for Kindergarten teachers because it seems that our little angels with their shining eyes enter with an ever-shrinking knowledge base. […]
One Standardized Test, Many Different Student Stories
Testing is upon us or was upon us a couple of weeks ago. Scores are coming back and no matter what, there are consequences to those scores. I have never made it a secret that I completely disagree with the way our system uses standardized testing. Standardized testing only measures where a student is now, […]
4 Unusual Gift Ideas For Teacher Appreciation Week
I walked into my classroom the first morning of Teacher Appreciation Week a bit groggy and bleary-eyed from a terrific weekend – a weekend not spent grading or lesson planning, but instead, spent taking long walks, baking, and digging in my garden. There’s nothing easy about teaching first period English in junior high school – […]
Using Literature Circles with YA Historical Fiction
As English teachers, we are constantly told that “choice matters” and “choice gives students a voice.” Multiple experts (Kelly Gallagher, Penny Kittle, Donalyn Miller, Nancie Atwell, Harvey Daniels, just to name a few) have written multiple books and articles on the topic. But I think many teachers struggle with how to incorporate choice into a […]
Surviving the Spring “Thing”
Spring Break has come and gone, and every teacher knows what follows thereafter: the Spring “Thing.” The “thing” involves a stretch of days where there are no more holidays until Memorial Day, or in some schools, the end of the year It’s a time when most states dig deep into standardized testing When the “thing” […]
The Genius Hour in Middle School
Two years ago, I had an idea. I wanted to see a class in my school that allowed students who are intrinsically motivated to do something they were interested in. I began searching around on the internet and stumbled upon Passion Projects, 20% Time (based on a Google practice), and Genius Hour, but it was […]
Breaking out of the Norm with Breakout Edu
It has been a long time since I started my high school class with this opening, “Today I’m going to tell you a story… and only you have the power to save the world…” My gaming team of devoted educators advised me to take a plunge into an all-out game experience with Breakout EDU. While […]