Five Tips for Creating the Problem-Free Group Project
Assigning group work can be very frustrating. Reflecting back on my first year, I'm amazed at how out-of-control and unorganized my group projects were. I'm sure when the principal walked by my room,...
View ArticleMotivating the Unmotivated: Tough Kid Tools That Really Work
At some point in your teaching career you will have a "tough kid" in your classroom. You may even have several at the same time. These students send you home exhausted, often in tears, and raise doubts...
View ArticleMy Reflections on the Education Nation Teacher Town Hall
Every year just before our December vacation, my school’s entire faculty takes a celebratory “field trip” to Rockefeller Center. We skate around the iconic rink together and then feast at a nearby...
View ArticleArt and Poetry Through the Year: Notebooks and Keepsakes for Your Students
Students in first grade need to have many experiences in language arts as they grow to become independent readers and writers. Shared reading is a great way for students to “play” with language to...
View ArticleHelping Students Develop a Lifelong Love of Reading
We all know that reading is one of the most important skills you can teach a child. It lays the foundation for a child’s success in school and in everyday life. For this reason, one of the most...
View ArticleGoing Paperless in the Classroom
I am reluctant to guess how much paper waste we create in my classroom alone, but I know it's substantial. So I've set a goal of going paperless in my English class within two years. Read on to learn...
View ArticleThe Challenge Based Classroom: Using Curriculum to Serve the Community
Last year I came to a crossroads in my teaching. During my annual review, I found myself agonizing over my goals for this upcoming school year. I was completely stuck. I browsed through our district's...
View ArticleBeware of Bias -- Graphing With a Critical Eye
My students studied graphing during our first math unit this year. Graphing lends itself to get-to-know-you activities when students survey each other to collect data, and it provides an entry point...
View ArticleOctober Read-Alouds: Literacy Fun With Pumpkins, Leaves, and Bats
Depending on where you live, you may have recently noticed a chill in the air, and the leaves may be turning from green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red. While many of your students may...
View ArticleConnecting Children With Nature: Learning About Trees
Our playground is surrounded by an abundance of beautiful trees, which always seem to captivate my very curious kindergartners. Who would have guessed that a group of five- and six-year-olds would find...
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