Teacher Tips

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…

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…

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…

School’s out for summer! Well, not quite. But, the thought of summer break typically stirs butterflies in both teachers’ and students’ stomachs. Those flutters of excitement are nothing to feel…

You’ve just asked one of the most thought-provoking questions of your teaching career, and you look out upon a sea of faces with anticipation. Fully expecting students to exude wonder…

Does the thought of starting a new semester have you ready to dive under a blanket, binge-watch your favorite Netflix series, and cuddle up with a bowl of popcorn? A…

What is meaningful homework? In middle and high school, stereotypical visions of students weighed down by heavy backpacks and up all hours of the night completing packets and studying for…

Inside: Students need to learn how to take charge of their learning. This involves developing independence and metacognition…along with some focused classroom norms that give students a voice. I taught…

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…

Inside this post: Whether you’re teaching in a virtual, blended, or brick and mortar setting, middle and high school students NEED digital citizenship lessons. In this post, find some of…