An important element of effective lesson design is content chunking. Often, it gets side-stepped due to time constraints or a push to get through the material faster. When teachers prioritize…
Structuring an ELA curriculum is similar to wardrobe shopping. We all have our personal preferences, our go-to pieces, and our timeless shirts, skirts, or pants. Yet, shopping with friends is…
And today, class, we will be talking about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theater. Please get out your notebooks and pens while I pull up the slide show. Are you…
Preparing to go back to school? Whether you’re a veteran, a new teacher, or somewhere in between, heading back to the classroom can be overwhelming. In this post, you’ll find…
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…
Arranging your secondary classroom for the first time, or maybe just looking for ways to switch things up? In this post, you’ll find over 20 helpful ideas for everything from…
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…
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…