In this series, #36weeksoftech, I will review tech tools in my fourth-grade classroom. I will give you my honest opinion and some pros and cons through the eyes of an experienced teacher. This is my 21st year in the classroom. I teach all subject areas. I have 19 students, an iPad cart I share with […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Educate Yourself and Vote
I am praying for our nation. We have a circus going on being sensationalized by the media. While this is happening, in fourth grade, I teach my students about government. They are exploring a basic understanding of how democracy works. They are learning about the three branches of government. And we will explore rights and responsibilities of citizens. These […]
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Literature Circles in Middle School: Assignments & Assessment
Over the course of three articles, I have talked about doing Literature Circles with my 8th-grade students. For a list of the novels we used, check here. To read about the procedures I put in place for my students, check here. And for an explanation of how I used mini-lessons both as a full class […]
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Relearning and Unlearning Writing in Grades 6-12
To relearn is to “learn something again, as after having forgotten or neglected it,” and after the five-seven weeks of summer break, students may have a fair amount of forgetting. That means teachers will begin each school year focused on student relearning. The German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus was a pioneer in the study of memory and learning which led to his discovery […]
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Teaching a Superpower
“I am going to teach you a super power.” I said this to over twenty classes last week, from first through seventh grades. I am covering for an art and music teacher on leave for the next several weeks. I certainly can cover the art portion without any trouble. I can sing, so we will […]
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How to Integrate Literacy into the Non-ELA Classroom
If there is one message that I get when I examine the Common Core standards for reading and writing, it’s this: Share the load. I think that English teachers have often shouldered the burden of literacy. We have felt that it is simply our job to teach students to write and to read and to analyze […]
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Have You Used Play-Doh In Your Middle School Classroom?
One of the huge challenges of teaching middle school is creating an environment where students know that their teachers care about them first. My teaching mantra over the last 26 years has always been “Kids first, curriculum second.” Middle school kids need to know that they are being listened to, they are important, and that […]
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[Podcast S2E6] Are My First Amendment Rights Coming in Second?
During this episode, Franchesca Warren speaks to a long-time writer for The Educator’s Room and 7th-Grade History Teacher, Mr. Jake Miller, about our first amendment rights. Just last week, Jake wrote an article about first amendment rights entitled, “A Letter to My Students On First Amendment Rights” and it got me thinking- how can teachers approach subjects […]