When I was in first grade, way back in the early 1960’s, there were 52 students in my class. It was the baby boom. It was a Catholic school. It still was an astonishing number of children. There were three reading groups named Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Those poor Joseph’s! How can you learn to […]
Tips for Student Success
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Social Studies
Issue Project: How I Empower Students to Change the System!
I teach high school government because I want my students to become empowered, active citizens who know how to effect the change they want to see. And the best way to get them there is to have them effect change while they are still students in my classroom. Enter the Issue Project. First, each student […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Classroom Management, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum
Building Self-Esteem: The Secret Ingredient to Reaching Your Learning Disability Student
For twelve long years of school and after, he contends with a situation for which he can find no satisfactory solution. When schoolwork becomes insurmountable, the child has few alternative resources. An adult dissatisfied with his job may seek a position elsewhere or find solace outside of his work; he may even endure these difficulties […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Olympic Lessons
I always get really excited when the Olympics come on TV. It gives me a chance to see sports on TV that are not usually shown and the amazing back stories about the athletes are always appealing. This year I mentioned the Olympics to my students and the universal reply was that they had no […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy
Teaching Inference in Reading
“Since it is a sunny day today, I infer we’ll have recess.” My mouth dropped open in shock. Did this seven year old, first generation Latina really use the word “infer?” It was odd sounding, to be sure, but there it was. I laughed with delight and said we most certainly would have recess. She […]
Posted inBook Review, Featured, Opinion
ELL Classroom Instruction that Works – a Book Review
by: Jennifer Healey Book: Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners 2nd Edition By: Jane D. Hill and Kirsten B. Miller Published: ASCD, 2013 [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”] Most K-12 classroom teachers are […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum
Differentiating with Alternative Assessments
[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”] We’ve all seen those long lists of activities to give a class as an alternative assessment. You read through the list, for example on a site like TeachHub, you pick out […]
Posted inCurrent Events in Education, Instruction & Curriculum
The Power of Current Events
It seems recently that there has been more of an explicit push in education to connect the content to the students themselves. Why should they care about what’s going on in the classroom? How does it impact them personally in their homes, communities, and nation? How can they use it beyond the test? Where a […]