Student learning is no accident!
For years, the reluctant writers in my classroom were my biggest stressor when it came to teaching middle school writing. There were so many students in my class that just needed to pick up their pencil and write!! No matter how much I begged, some students just would not write… and if they wouldn’t write, it was hard to get… Read More
Differentiating math lessons for ALL of your learners can be hard. With a few go-to strategies though, it doesn’t have to be overwhelm you! One of my favorite ways to reach students at a a variety of levels in one lesson, is by creating math choice boards. I create my choice board with three student avatars in mind: one who… Read More
Are you looking for a cooperative learning structure that will really get your students working together? If so, the jigsaw strategy is for you! Using a jigsaw in your classroom is a great way to teach students to work cooperatively, as they truly rely on each other. Just like all of the pieces of a puzzle are needed to complete… Read More
I’m always on the lookout for a handy student group work strategy. This one, Clock Partners, is one of my favorites! Sometimes when you prepare for group work, you stay up too late the night before making sure everyone has just the right partner. Have you been there? I have! And, honestly, even if it goes well- it leaves me… Read More
This is one of my favorite strategies to teach my classes- and my life as a teacher has become so much easier since I implemented a few key steps. My teaching partner and I experienced our very first Turn and Talk as participants in a workshop by Bobb Darnell in 2008 and we’ve been using it with students and adults… Read More
Science news articles, social studies chapter sections, primary source documents… These are all fabulous resources to use in our classrooms! We have to make sure however, that we are teaching students how to consume the content. While our students may be able to read the words, comprehending the content within these content heavy texts requires a skillset that we need to teach explicitly.
