How to Set Healthy AI Boundaries in the Classroom
Are your students testing the waters with AI? Perhaps you are suspicious they are using it without permission? Maybe the thought of discussing AI explicitly with students sounds a bit…
How to Create a Calm and Predictable Yet Inspiring Classroom Atmosphere
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…
7 Good Examples of Emotional Character Development – with Mentor Texts!
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…
8 Ways to Make Student-Led Discussions More Productive
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…
15 Fun Ways to Freshen Up Your Independent Reading Activities
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…
6 Fun Back-to-School Activities for Building Classroom Community
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…
12 Ways to Build a Virtual Classroom Community
Inside: There’s no secret ingredient to building a virtual classroom community. Every teacher will find approaches that work best for his or her own personality and teaching style. Hopefully, these…
9 Important Student Reflection Questions for the End of the Year
It’s the end of the school year, and you’re tired. Not to worry! This post will save you time. Use these student reflection questions to spark critical thinking about learning…
Best Practices | Classroom Culture | English Language Arts | Instructional Strategies | Lesson Design
How to Engage Students: 20 of the Best Active Learning Strategies
As a new teacher, I didn’t fully grasp how to best engage students in learning. That’s not to say my class was a bore, but there were definitely days I…
Music in the Classroom: 13 Ways to Use Songs in ELA
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music” (Aldous Huxley). Think about the last time you felt truly inspired. Was music a part of the experience?…
Help Students Develop a Reading Habit: 8 Things You Need to Know
Knowing how to help a reluctant student create a habit of reading is a game changer. Cultivating a reading lifeone of the most important lessons we can share the next…
Creating a Reading Culture that Inspires Secondary Students
Creating an environment that encourages students to love reading and to want to grow in their comprehension and analysis skills is an undertaking. To get a pulse on your classroom’s…
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