One of my favorite times of my day is reading aloud to my students. Whether it’s a simple theme-based book at our morning carpet time, or our afternoon chapter book, I get lost in the magic of being able to transport my kids from one magical place to another. Even my reluctant readers enjoy our […]
Instruction & Curriculum
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Mystery Novel Studies
If you teach middle or high school English but struggle with getting students excited about literature, you should try a mystery novel study, especially if you enjoy mysteries or puzzles yourself. Your students do not have to share this joy in order to get involved in a good mystery novel. Chances are that once this […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum
Teachers and Their Students Practice, Not Perform
“A bad dress rehearsal foretells a great performance.” This theatrical superstition is a great comfort to those who botch lines, drop lines, break props, or miss entrance cues before performing in front of an audience. Rehearsals are for practice, to fix what could go wrong so that the performance before a critical audience is perfect. […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Coach Files, Uncategorized
Adventures in Coaching- Learning When to Shut Up
Working as an Instructional Coach is a delicate balance of learning how to balance being a coach who frequently talks teachers “off the ledge” and not losing your teaching credibility. On one hand you’re still a teacher because many times you find yourself in classrooms helping a teacher with a particular lesson, but other times […]
Posted inCommon Core, Current Events in Education, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Step Up and Teach – Part 4: ELA Language Standards
[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”] w’sup… NMU… h/w… K TTYL… Our students’ English has changed. They talk in IM and text. They photograph moments and ideas. They use hash tags and express themselves in ways that […]
Posted inCommon Core, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Bet You Can't Eat Just One…Irresistible Informational Text!
[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”] If nothing else, the Common Core State Standards’ (CCSS) contribution to the academic lexicon will be the renaming of the genre known as non-fiction to a larger genre of informational texts. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Days of Remembrance: JFK’s and Lincoln’s Legacies in the Classroom
“Four score and seven years ago…” The first words of Mr. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address ring through the annals of every American history textbook ever written. Now 150 years later, seven score and a decade, the speech remains America’s greatest. It was just nine sentences long and took not much longer than 2 minutes to deliver. […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Special Education
Special Education Assistants: 5 Steps to Getting Assessment Support Just Right (Part 2)
[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”] Part 1 of this series offered 5 areas of ongoing professional development for Education Assistants. In this installment, I provide EA’s with 5 steps to help determine what level of […]