I’m always trying to come up with different ways to teach math that will grab the interest of my students. If you’ve ever taught math or been taught math, you know there are some students that just don’t like math, but love reading. So, what if you incorporate literature in math instruction? I’ve got five […]
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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 […]
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 […]
Math Standards in Middle School
I taught middle school math for 30 years. During my career I used many different types of math standards. These standards included school district standards, NCTM standards, a new set of district standards, textbook “programs,” and finally the Pennsylvania state standards. The PA standards very closely resemble the current Common Core standards with one exception. […]
The Middle School Mind: How To Find Out What They’re Thinking
Summer is finally over. Parents are secretly smiling as they shoo their kids out the door, snap a few first day of school photos and sigh. Yes, some of them might shed a few tears over the passage of time and the impending high school graduation – even if it’s still five years away. And some […]
Literature Circles in Middle School: Mini-Lessons
Rather than teach a full-class book at the end of the 2015-16 school year, I opted to have my 8th graders read in literature circles. They had the choice between six historical YA lit novels. Each day students met in their literature circles they had certain procedures they were expected to follow. Even though each […]
Lit Circles in the Middle: Procedures for Middle School Literature Circles
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 […]
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 […]