Recently I mashed a world history unit on 19th century industry with student discussions on the history of change in education. A TED Talk illustrating Sir Ken Robinson’s reflections on transforming education away from standardized practice prompted student discussion and agreement on the need for time spent on creativity and artistic expression in all classes. However, the […]
Instructional Strategies
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Featured, High School, Instructional Strategies, Middle School, Uncategorized
The Baltimore – Education Reform Connection
The Baltimore neighborhood that was the focus of protests after Freddie Gray’s death exists in every major city in this country. Too often such neighborhoods were once places where families could graduate from high school and get decent jobs. Schools had decent funding and could find ways to help struggling students like Freddie Gray. […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instructional Strategies, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Tips for New ESOL Teachers: What To Do When Your Student Is Brand New (to English)
Contrary to what many might expect, most English Language Learner students are born in the USA, and come to school with at least a few useful phrases they can throw around on the playground. ELL students, like any other group, are a diverse bunch and all good teachers know it’s important to get to know […]
Posted inFeatured, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Good Writing vs. Great Writing: Leading the Way
Have you ever been frustrated between grading pieces of writing that were good (had all the “bones,” all the structures, all the requirements), and grading really great, well-written, interesting pieces of writing? Both had all the meat, but only one had real substance. As an English Language Arts teacher, the question has been raised in my mind numerous times, […]
Posted inElementary School, Featured, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten
Incorporating Hands-On Activities For Wiggly Kids
We have 20 school days left. 20. The weather is warming up, the kids are counting down and the ‘end-of-the-year-itis’ has hit like the plague. Ugh. Every unit I plan for the last six weeks of school is hands-on. I simply cannot handle a classroom full of fidgety, wiggly, non-focused kids for several days in […]
Posted inChild Development, Common Core, Elementary School, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Mathematics, Science
Hands-On Science For Young Learners
My elementary class and I have begun my most favorite science unit of all: plants and life cycles. I look forward to this unit every year. There are five concepts that I want to drive home with this unit. First, that everything has a life cycle and what that means. Next, that not everything looks […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Educational Apps, Elementary School, High School, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Kindergarten, Social Studies, Technology
Field Trips are Better with iPads
Every year I collaborate with colleagues to host a high school field trip to a local college campus. We explore art collections, tour the campus and give students time to explore the nearby downtown for a brief respite. The goal of connecting artistic perspective to their interpretations of world history is tangential to the elation students enjoy with a […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Literacy
Make Them Laugh: Why We Should Teach Shakespearean Comedies
I love Shakespeare. I would love nothing more than to teach Shakespeare all day long. One thing I dislike about Shakespeare (and it is not his fault), is that we only teach his tragedies in high school. When I was in school, Shakespeare’s plays were taught in this order, freshman year was Romeo and Juliet, […]