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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

In my thirty year career, the thing I've found the hardest to get kids to truly understand, is how to do a literary analysis. Many of them can do one on a surface level, but most struggle to show a true understanding. I've been tweaking lessons for years, and the most success has come from using a … [Read more...] about A Visible Thinking Activity for Analyzing Text

Someone, somewhere, once said that necessity is the mother of invention. That is an adage we had to lean into - hard - in 2020. It was a year that challenged us in so many ways as we desperately tried to transfer what we know about good teaching from the classroom to the screen. One way I did that … [Read more...] about One-Sliders for Distance Learning

Two weeks before our holiday break, we were abruptly slammed into remote learning again. We had been face-to-face since September, so there was a lot of scrambling to make the switch. This time, it was very different than last spring because the kids were actually expected to show up and do some … [Read more...] about Taking Attendance for Distance Learning

Watching movies in the classroom sometimes gets a bad rep. That's because there are some teachers who press play too often and with no purpose. However, movies in your classroom have a great deal of educational value and can be a very effective strategy for achieving some of your curriculum … [Read more...] about Using Movies in the Classroom

Group work is not so easy when teaching remotely.  There are many tools that can help, like Zoom and Google Meets;  however, I prefer using Google Docs for student collaboration. It's low tech, but it works beautifully. Google Docs & Student Collaboration: My go-to strategy for online … [Read more...] about Using Google Docs for Student Collaboration

  There's no question that distance learning is a challenge for many students (and most teachers). By its very nature, it requires students to spend their days glued to a screen, something we know is not so good for them. That's why it's important that we build in action breaks and time … [Read more...] about Two Must Haves for Successful Distance Learning

Today's post is all about another issue I hear a lot about: reading workshop and classroom management. Giving kids the ability to choose their own books can be a beautiful thing. However, a lot of problems can ensue if they choose not to read them and choose to distract others instead. I've been … [Read more...] about Reading Workshop and Classroom Management

Do I have to read all of the books for reading workshop? How do I assess students if I haven’t? I get these questions a lot, and they are ones that I definitely had myself when I started reading workshop. I used to worry that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with all of the books that my students … [Read more...] about Do I have to read all of the books for reading workshop?

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