Welcome to The New Teacher’s Survival Guide! This is part two of a five-part series. Read the first installment on creating a support network here. It was 6:30 p.m. on a Wednesday – and I was still at school. I was getting better at leaving at a reasonable time—I really was!—but this lesson was […]
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Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, From the Front Lines
A Fresh Recipe for Managing Difficult Students
I call them my Whack-A-Mole class. In a group of 26 children, I had eight with an ADHD diagnoses. One of them was on medication for it. I had two more who were undiagnosed with wiggles extraordinaire. Some of these ten children were part of the three students with IEPs or one of the twelve […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Teaching Writing to English Language Learners
An English as a second language student will need extra guidance and encouragement to write. Depending on the various stages of English acquisition in your classroom and the grade you teach depends on how you ask for a writing piece and what you can expect the student work to look like. These are some general […]
Posted inFeatured
10 Ways To Deal With The Negative Teacher
You know. I know. He knows. She knows. The kids know. We all know who the negative teachers are. Every school has at least one of them, and they fit many different molds. Here’s how to “deal” with the Negative Neds and Sour Sallys in your midst First, ask yourself if Mr. / Ms. Negative […]
Posted inFeatured, Opinion, Social Studies
I Am a History Major- And I'm Okay With That.
Just recently I received a survey from my alma matter asking me to rate the department for my major. My major is not always a popular one, and one that had more boys than girls in it(which was a big deal at my school). I was a history major. The usual reaction I get from […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Technology
10 Pieces Of Technology That Changed My Teaching Practice And Others That Didn’t
[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”] It is no mystery that the education world is saturated with technology. There are tools for everything from administering quizzes, to “flipping” the classroom, to facilitating collaboration, to monitoring student productivity. […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Fluency Fix-Up: Teaching Sight Word Phrases
As literacy teachers, we know the importance of teaching our students how to achieve appropriate fluency. Long before the Common Core, we were modeling, teaching fluency strategies, allowing students time to practice, and having fun with poems, Reader’s Theater, and choral readings. As students progress through the grades, the importance of fluency does not diminish, […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
How to Write a Reader's Theater Play
[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”] The most valuable class I have ever attended was at first a mistake. My enrollment in “Reading 101: Strategies for Middle School Students,” offered at our local intermediate unit, was a […]