Throughout my teaching career, I have used booktalks on a regular basis to motivate, inspire, and share quality literature with students. With middle school students, the booktalk can be an effective tool to hook reluctant readers and is an important component of independent reading time and/or a Reader’s Workshop. In short, a booktalk is a […]
literacy
Posted inFrom the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp
How to Avoid Plagiarism in the Era of Common Core
[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”] While I love my profession and why I am doing it, sometimes being a new teacher can suck. But what’s important is that you learn from your mistakes. Take the unit […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Just the Facts: Tackling Nonfiction
I show my class a book about whales. We are beginning a science unit on these fascinating creatures and I am using language arts to support it. I selected the book to start the unit carefully. It had to have compelling pictures with captions and text that would be challenging for them yet intriguing enough […]
Posted inFeatured, How to Fix Education, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, School Improvement
Musings on Running and Teaching
[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”] No matter how much I prepare for the start of the new school year I still feel a nervous anxiety on the first day of classes similar to the start of […]
Posted inFeatured, Literacy
Car Talks & Conversational Learning
[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”] Reluctantly, summer ends, school begins and I am already wistful for the undefined pace of unhurried days. Summer offers us all our best educational experiences; learning to swim, ride bikes, plan […]
Posted inBook Review, Literacy
Why Independent Reading is so Important – A Book Review
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child Author: Donalyn Miller Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2009 As with most teachers, summer gives me the chance to finally read the stacks of books that have piled up in every nook and cranny of my house. One of the books I looked forward to reading this summer was The […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Interdisciplinary Approach for ELLs
The Common Core State Standards have demanded that we change the way we teach. With new standards and a new emphasis on college and career readiness that must be able to reach all students, as teachers we need to adapt. With so much to cover in one short (though it may not always feel like […]
Posted inFeatured, Literacy
Can You Read This?
“I cn c y schls r against cell phones. Da lang that students use n wrtng is horrible. Im not sayin im 4 cell phones n schl, but im nt ready 2 say im against them. SMH at this argument. I ll TTYL abt phones n schls.”* How many teachers have seen something like this […]