[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”] Science fiction and fantasy are among the most popular genres in both film and book publishing, but they are often underrepresented in the English Language Arts offerings in the secondary classroom.  There are […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inFeatured, Formative Assessments, Instruction & Curriculum
Formative Assessments: Success Criteria
This series is about using formative assessment in your classroom. Many teachers use this practice daily to know where students are and move them forward in learning.  There are tools, however, that can strengthen the formative assessment you are doing in your classroom to meet the needs of all students you teach. The first tool, discussed […]
Posted inChild Development, Elementary School, Featured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Mathematics
Making Time and Money Concepts Stick
One of the most challenging concepts to teach younger children is time and money. Think about how confusing it is to their little minds: we spend all this time teaching them the worth of pennies, dimes, nickels and quarters, then switch to a clock that is split into quarters that do not equal the 25 […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy, Middle School
Give Students What They Want to Read for Reading Practice
The middle school or high school classroom library can be an important tool in making students life-long readers, but how to choose what goes into a classroom library for independent reading? Providing the books that student want to read is different than pre-selecting books that students should read. Yes, educators believe that students should read selections from the literary canon, for example, those […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Literacy, Parents
Engaging Students In Spelling List Studying
[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 am proud to announce that Stewart the Spelling Minion will join our classroom this year. I’ve already introduced Gilligan in a previous piece, who helps with social studies retention. Gus […]
Posted inEducational Apps, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Technology
Clear Out Your App Collection And Build Student Mastery
The education technology industry is one of the most quickly growing industries in the United States. Billions of dollars are spent annually by tech juggernauts such as Pearson, Kaplan, and Apollo Group as they develop Learning Management Systems (LMSs), mobile apps, tutoring services, online course offerings, and digital textbooks. In terms of sheer dollar amounts […]
Posted inCommon Core, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Faulkner’s "I Decline to Accept the End of Man" Speech
American authors are studied in the secondary ELA classroom for their writing style and contributions to  literature. 20th Century writer William Faulkner (1897 –1962) is one such author whose short stories (A Rose for Emily, The Bear, Barn Burning) are often anthologized in textbooks. His novels ( As I Lay Dying, Light in August, Absalom, Absalom!)are also featured in classrooms […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Why I Thank GOD For Being a TEACHER
[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”] Ko Olina, Hawaii I write these words in the midst of what teachers fantasize about all year: a mid-July Hawaiian vacation with my family. I am currently looking out on a […]