Deer in the headlights. That’s kind of what it feels like to look out at a sea of freshmen who are just transitioning to high school. One of the first…
Most teachers read professional development books over the summer months. Sometimes, groups of educators get together and tackle them as part of a school-wide or department-wide book study during the…
Looking for meaningful summer learning activities for teens? This post contains rewarding ideas for working with older students during the summer months. It’s the end of the year. You’ve made…
Wondering how to help students improve their writing skills and confidence? Model writing by writing aloud! To be honest, when I began teaching, I had very little idea how to…
This post is part of a series about reading instruction. To start from the beginning, read about getting to know your readers. When teachers plan reading curriculum in secondary, the…
Searching for ways to teach reading meaningfully in secondary? Welcome! This post – Getting to Know Your Readers – is the first in a series about how to teach reading…
Lesson transitions can be frustrating when they don’t go smoothly. Move from one activity to the next efficiently using these simple tips for classroom transitions. Imagine this: You’re teaching an…
Do you ever feel like you’re not sure what to do with the students who…fail vocabulary quizzes, struggle to write essays, find grammar challenging, or grapple with literary analysis? It…
Wondering how to teach grammar? People have strong opinions about whether or not it should be taught. Grammar has even been referred to by Grammar Alive as the “skunk at the…
As the push for choice reading gains momentum, many teachers have been wondering about how to balance independent reading with class novels. Some wonder, is there still a place for…