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You've created the perfect lesson plan. Your kids are engaged in the writing activity... all except a handful. You know them, the ones who refuse to write no matter what you ask them to do. Encouraging reluctant writers to pick up the pen can be hard, but with a few simple strategies, you just might … [Read more...] about Encouraging Reluctant Writers

Recently I asked my Instagram followers what they wished their students knew before distance learning began, and there was an amazing number of responses about students not being able to read directions or turn in documents properly. This generation of digital natives may not be as tech savvy as we … [Read more...] about Teaching students to be independent learners

Choice boards and distance learning are a marriage made in the crazy world of Covid. I was going to say heaven, but that word just doesn't seem to work right now, does it? So what are choice boards and how will they help you with distance learning? Like a menu, they offer students a selection of  … [Read more...] about Choice Boards and Distance Learning

So you have lessons and activities that you've purchased from my TpT store and now you are tasked with teaching from home. What can you do?  (First of all, click here to get some freebies designed for online teaching). I would love to be able to convert all of my products to digital so those of … [Read more...] about Using Room 213 Products for Distance Learning

"How do you do reading workshop with distance learning?" This was actually a question I got recently in a text from a colleague. We had just been informed that we were moving to online teaching and were discussing what's on the minds of many of us these days. How will it all work?  When I told … [Read more...] about How to do Reading Workshop with Distance Learning

It's hard enough to get some of our teens to do the work in class, and now we are expected to get them to do it from home. It seems like a gargantuan task, but is distance learning and student engagement impossible? Distance learning offers many challenges, and this may be one of the greatest … [Read more...] about Distance Learning and Student Engagement

These are crazy, trying times. I know that many of you are scrambling, trying to figure out how to deliver your curriculum to students remotely, so I’ve put together some lessons and strategies for remote learning to share with you. They aren’t specific to any particular text; instead, they are ones … [Read more...] about Lessons and Strategies for Remote Learning

Speed Dating with Books - Spark some interest! I tried something new this week, and I'm so glad I did. I was ready to launch reading workshop with my new tenth grade class, and I decided to let my students do speed dating with the books I have in the classroom. First, I had to decide how to … [Read more...] about Speed Dating with Books

MENTOR TEXTS BUILD THE HABIT OF REVISION There are a lot of good reasons for using mentor texts with our students, but you know what? There are three really good reasons why your texts should not be "perfect." The idea of using mentor texts was one of those game-changing ideas for me. … [Read more...] about 3 Reasons Why Your Mentor Texts Should Not Be “Perfect”

3 Visible Thinking Activities: Often, the most successful activities in my classroom are those where we make student thinking visible. Deeper learning happens when I pull back the curtain on the process students need to follow, so they can clearly see what needs to be done.  And because they … [Read more...] about 3 Visible Thinking Activities

It was the second last Friday before Christmas and the day after a school dance. I knew I needed something engaging for my seniors, or the class would be a struggle. I also needed some more speaking and listening activities, so I decided to do an impromptu Socratic seminar - and it was one of the … [Read more...] about A Socratic Seminar that Really Worked

How to Use Learning Stations in a High School Classroom Learning stations or centers are very popular in elementary grades, but do they work with older students? Absolutely. In fact, they are an incredible tool for focus and learning.  So, if you're wondering how you can use learning stations in a … [Read more...] about How to Use Learning Stations in a High School Classroom