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Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Stick and...
Using Student-Created Graphic Organizers to Elevate Learning
How Specialized Graphic Organizers Can Encourage Critical Thinking
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5 Helpful Ways to Use TED Talks in...
How to Create a Calm and Predictable Yet Inspiring...
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  • Proven Ways to Make Your Teaching Stick and Increase Learning!

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside this Post:  Tired of students forgetting what they’ve learned? Research emphasizes the value of previewing and reviewing. Keep reading for practical, manageable ways to build spacing into your classroom. Travel…

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  • Using Student-Created Graphic Organizers to Elevate Learning

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside this Post: Need to deepen student investment in graphic organizers? Try differentiating. One of the highest levels of choice we can offer is student-created graphic organizers. Find the details in…

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  • How Specialized Graphic Organizers Can Encourage Critical Thinking

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside this Post:  Are your graphic organizers getting stale? Unlock the power of specialized graphic organizers, and watch critical thinking soar. (I’ll also be speaking about this topic at a…

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  • 3 Ways to Inspire Students with Eye-Catching Graphic Organizers

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside this Post: How to maximize student engagement with a simple secret…eye-catching graphic organizers. This is the second post in a series about graphic organizers. Want to start at the…

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  • Modeling with Graphic Organizers: A Surefire Way to Increase Learning

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside this Post: If your experience with graphic organizers has been less than enchanting, stick around. This post has simple, specific suggestions for modeling with graphic organizers to increase learning!…

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  • 5 Helpful Ways to Use TED Talks in the Classroom

    by Melissa Kruse

    TED Talks are videos that present engaging ideas in 18 minutes or less. Their compact, visual format makes them a great vessel for the middle and high school classroom! Truly,…

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  • How to Create a Calm and Predictable Yet Inspiring Classroom Atmosphere

    by Melissa Kruse

    Wondering how to create a calm, predictable, and inspiring classroom atmosphere? Let’s start at the beginning! What is classroom atmosphere, and why does it matter? It’s actually quite abstract! Classroom…

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  • 7 Good Examples of Emotional Character Development – with Mentor Texts!

    by Melissa Kruse

    Looking to teach students about how character development impacts theme? First, you’ll need to model with some specific, high-interest examples. Students need to know what character development looks like from…

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  • 7 Simple Secrets for Success with Discussion Based Literature Circles

    by Melissa Kruse

    Getting ready to begin student-led literature circles? Literature circles are the perfect opportunity to combine reading, writing, speaking, and listening in an authentic way! But, sometimes the broad nature and…

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  • 6 Easy Ways to Prepare for Parent-Teacher Conferences

    by Melissa Kruse

    Are parent-teacher conferences in your near future? Getting organized is important. It can be challenging to communicate everything you want guardians to know in a short 10 or 15 minute…

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  • 4 Essential Purposes that Drive Strong Vocabulary Instruction

    by Melissa Kruse

    Ever wondered where to start with vocabulary instruction? Sometimes, it can feel like we are throwing darts in the dark. The target has to be out there somewhere, and if…

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  • How to Tackle Test Prep Writing Prompts in 3 Easy Steps

    by Melissa Kruse

    Does it ever seem like standardized test writing prompts are intentionally wordy and confusing? If you have stumbled upon this post after finishing your testing for the year, enjoy! For…

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  • 8 Ways to Make Student-Led Discussions More Productive

    by Melissa Kruse

    Looking to improve student-led discussions? While these conversations may be packed with some of the most powerful skills we can teach students, they certainly pose plenty of challenges. Consider, for…

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  • How to Use Text Sets to Build Background Knowledge

    by Melissa Kruse

    Searching for engaging ways to build students’ background knowledge? Perhaps you need an activity to help students prepare to read a complex text, to write an essay, or to engage…

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  • My Favorite End-of-Class Routine Ideas: Calming the Chaos

    by Melissa Kruse

    What do your students do at the end of the class period? Do those last few minutes ever feel chaotic or unorganized? Without a structured routine, students will often line…

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  • 15 Fun Ways to Freshen Up Your Independent Reading Activities

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside: Is your choice reading program feeling stale? Are the independent reading activities falling flat? We can engage students and keep book love fresh by weaving in new ideas from…

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  • Why We Need to Say Good Riddance to the Reading Log Forever

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside:  Have reading logs on your mind? Still wildly popular, reading logs have serious negative impacts on our students’ relationships with reading. This post is full of honest answers about…

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  • 6 Fun Back-to-School Activities for Building Classroom Community

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside:  Looking for an alternative to covering the syllabus or using awkward ice breakers on the first day of school? Try this multi-faceted approach to help students begin building relationships…

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  • 9 Questions that Help Students Analyze Diversity in Literature

    by Melissa Kruse

    Inside:  Wondering how to help students analyze diversity in literature? This post includes nine reflective questions to help guide conversations. It felt gigantic. The more she thought about it, Hailey…

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  • 6 Reading Routines Every Classroom Needs!

    by Melissa Kruse

    It’s happened to me frequently. I sit down, head swirling with ideas, clear about the direction I want to go with my instructional sequence. And then…as soon as I try…

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About Me

About Me

Reader, Writer, & Teacher

Hi, I'm Melissa. I'm passionate about teaching and learning. As an instructional coach, I'm always asking questions, trying new things, and reflecting. This is the space where I share my learning with others.

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Reading and Writing Haven
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Best Practices/Interventions
    • Classroom Culture
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    • English Language Arts
      • Book Recommendations
      • Curriculum & Lessons
      • Grammar
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      • Poetry
      • Reading
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