Ideas from the Blog

One of the biggest changes I made to my routine in 2015 was to use learning stations in my high school classroom.  The first one was created out of necessity.  I had been sick for a number of days in September and felt like I hadn't given my students enough direction for using their … [Read more...] about Learning Stations: One of my Favourites from 2015

Once again, thanks to Nitty Gritty Science, a group of TpT sellers are donating all proceeds from their sales on December 13th to various charities.My classes are collecting money to give to a local organization that is sponsoring one of the Syrian refugee families that will be joining us in the new … [Read more...] about TpT Sellers Are Giving Back

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to the 12 Days of Giving hosted by the Literary League!  To celebrate the season and our favorite fellow teachers (that’s you!), we’re all having a salein our TpT shops today, Saturday, December 12th and tomorrow, Sunday, December 13th. … [Read more...] about

https://learninginroom213.com/2015/12/2109/

Oh, December. You're the darkest month of the year, but also the most sparkly. Our halls are decked, our lists are made, and our students are banging off the walls with excitement. High school students may not believe in the magic anymore, but they are just as unfocused and frenzied as the … [Read more...] about Surviving the Christmas Countdown!

Welcome to day two of the Literary League's 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop! We know that the holiday season is busy for both teachers and students. You want to make learning fun, yet still meaningful while attempting to channel some of your students' energy and excitement about the upcoming holidays … [Read more...] about The Literary League’s 12 Days of Giving: Day 2

Literary Leaguers are in the holiday spirit and we’re hosting 12 Days of Giving! We’re super excited to share some of our favorite freebies (both seasonal and all-year-round resources) with you and give you the chance to win a Teachers Pay Teachers gift certificate!  The 12 Days of Giving … [Read more...] about The Literary League Kicks off Twelve Days of Christmas for Secondary Teachers

Thanks to Julie and Lauralee for gathering us together again for a holiday blog hop.I seriously cannot believe that the calendar page is turning to December on Tuesday.  The fall flew by with the usual flurry of any school year.  It's been a good semester for me, and one thing I love most … [Read more...] about ‘Tis the Season in Room 213

Last fall, I shared my frustration with Socratic seminars. Regardless of how strong my class has been in the past, I found the discussion stilted. Too many big pauses. Lots of  uncomfortable people. I gave the students more guidance and modelling, but I still wasn't happy. Other teachers raved … [Read more...] about Socratic Seminars — the mini version

One of my favourite classes to teach is my twelfth grade general English class. These are the kids who made choices that pushed them off the academic track, choices that often have very little to do with their intellectual ability and a lot more to do with what has gone on in their lives. … [Read more...] about Engaging the disengaged through creative writing

Those of you who follow me know I have a thing for chart paper and post-it notes. Nothing has changed.  Last week I did an exercise that allowed me to give my students fast feedback in a way that was much more enjoyable than them writing another essay that I would have to mark.  They will … [Read more...] about Chart Paper, Post-its and Formative Assessment

Understanding the theme of a story can be challenging. Like all human beings, students want to take the easy way out. They read a difficult text and they want "the answer" to magically pop into their heads, without doing any mental stretching to get there. They think that we English teachers will … [Read more...] about Understanding Theme: Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together

I've been using a lot of formative assessment lately and I'm totally loving it. Most of the students are engaged, and glad of the stress-relief that the feedback-only approach supplies.  I thought I'd share some highlights:USING FEEDBACK & FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT1.  My IB students passed … [Read more...] about Feedback and Formative Assessment