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One of my greatest tools for classroom management is pretty easy to implement: giving students a break partway through class. I know some will say that high school kids should be able to sit and concentrate for 75 minutes, but you know what? I disagree. I know I don’t sit well for that long - and … [Read more...] about Giving students a break

Unfortunately, many of us are ruled by the calendar and the clock, and we end up rushing to get curriculum covered. However, if we spend time early in the semester, setting students up for success, they will gain confidence and be ready to learn and grow. And, that will allow us to get more done … [Read more...] about Setting Students Up for Success

There is no doubt about it: students will learn more when they are intrinsically motivated, when they see a purpose beyond a test and a grade, or when they get a sense of enjoyment out of the activity. One thing that is sure to motivate your students is a sense of fun and play, something that we … [Read more...] about Enhance learning with games and challenges

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. We've heard that many times before, right? I believe that life is full of second chances, but it's an adage that I do pay close attention to when I meet a new group of students. Starting off on the right foot can do wonders for classroom … [Read more...] about My Favorite First Day of School Activities

English language arts is a very skills based course. Because of this, we end up teaching the same skills over and over across the grade levels. So, if you have a great lesson, one that works well, is it ok to use the same lesson for different grades? Absolutely. Obviously, you won't be … [Read more...] about Using the same lesson for different grades

Do you find that you are so tired at the end of semester that the thought of grading another paper makes you just want to curl into a ball and hide away? Me too. So I save my sanity with end-of-the-year speaking assignments. That way, when I am most tired, I can sit back and grade my students on … [Read more...] about End-of-Semester Speaking Assignments

We've all been there: classes that are chatty, rambunctious, and hard to manage or engage. They make every day a challenge, and leave you wondering if teaching is really for you. Some classes are harder to deal with than others, but I have a secret for you that can help you get better at dealing … [Read more...] about The Key to Classroom Management in Secondary Classrooms

Whenever I start a new text, I always begin with a pre-reading exercise that gets students engaged in the ideas we will explore in whatever it is we are about to read. I wrote about this process before, on this post, but now I'd like to tell you about how and why I tweaked it for making text to text … [Read more...] about Making Text to Text Connections

Engaging is one of those buzzwords that you are probably getting sick of hearing, right? Everything is supposed to be "highly engaging," so kids will get excited about learning because class is just so much fun. But have you ever wondered this: is our job really about engaging, entertaining - or … [Read more...] about Engaging, entertaining, or educating?

The other day, I posted a photo of one of my rubrics in Google Classroom, and I got a flurry of response - and lots of questions about whether I have them for sale. I don't and I won't. However, I'd love to give you some help with creating your own rubrics for Google Classroom. Why don't I sell or … [Read more...] about Rubrics for Google Classroom

At the end of each semester, my twelfth grade students have final conferences with me. I love them for several reasons (which you can read about here). and one is that I get some pretty solid feedback on my course. This year, something that came across load and clear was that my students really … [Read more...] about Scaffolding Speaking Skills for Student Success

Do you have comments that you make repeatedly when giving students feedback? I definitely do, and on the top of  the list is "tell me more." So many of my students don't fully develop their points, and their writing is pretty dull as a result. Therefore, I decided it was time to come up with a new … [Read more...] about Teach students to support their ideas