Ready to take your teaching game to the next level? Check out my latest blog post featuring The Teaching Toolbox Podcast! Discover valuable insights, practical tips, and inspiring stories designed to empower middle school teachers like you in this podcast for teachers. Whether you're looking for classroom management strategies, lesson planning ideas, or just a dose of educator camaraderie, we've got you covered!
If you've been searching for the Aztecs and ideas to teach, you may have been searching for a while. There are not a lot of resources out there, readily available and free for your use.
Build a positive classroom culture through relationships, interaction, recognition, and more. This blog post gives 6 great ideas and is part of a hop
If you know anything about me and the products I create, you know I love interactive notebooks or living books as we used to call them back in the day.
If you've been searching for the Aztecs and ideas to teach, you may have been searching for a while. There are not a lot of resources out there, readily available and free for your use.
What is Bite-Sized Learning? The world of education is changing. Attention spans are getting smaller. Digital screens are replacing paper pages. Personalized plans are for everyone. Self-paced learning is sweeping through classrooms. When all that
I want to discuss seating charts, but first let's start with some definitions. Heterogeneous is to be diverse in character or content while homogeneous is to be the same kind or alike. It is very
I talk quite a bit about classroom management on my blog. I have to be honest here. I have tried so many different things. I have tried the clip chart, I have tried check marks, I have tried the “flip the card”. NONE of them work for me. The book Dream Class really changed my thoughts on...
Happy Digital Learning Day! We will celebrate with the Digital Natives on February 17 this year! Having been born around the same time as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, I am alas only a tourist in the digital world. I am probably the most enthusiastic tourist you will ever meet though! What a trip it's been since my hubby and I signed up for lessons in how to operate our first Apple2e and the first Commodore PETs were wheeled into our classrooms! Each time a new piece of technology is developed or an upgrade is issued, I am first in line to sign up! I have written and received many grants for my district and students in the latest technology, and I love working with kids as they quickly learn to navigate the new terrain. A high point of my teaching career was when I took a group of fourth graders to the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association conference to show how they were using Palm Pilots for learning and assessment. Many people have the goal of living to 100. It's one of my personal goals because I don't want to miss all the technological advancements yet to come. In any case, I'm super excited to celebrate with you on February 17! Whether you as a teacher are a digital native yourself, or a recent immigrant, or a longtime tourist like me, I think you'll agree that digital citizenship is as important to teach as digital navigation and knowledge. In books and articles, they (and possibly you!) are referred to as digital natives. They are the kids who were born into the world of the internet, and have never known a different world. They have never known the dizzying smell of a fresh new purple mimeograph copy landing on their desk, the sight of ink droplets dripping from the nib of a pen dipped in an inkwell, or even a classroom or school without smart boards, iPads, and laptops. Some digital natives are currently as old as thirty-five, and they are in charge. Our students are most certainly digital natives, but do they know and respect the rules of appropriate digital citizenship? The digital natives seated in our classrooms today process information in a very different way than kids of the last century. Using technology is second nature to them, and most know their way around the internet and social media. Their thoughts may flow as easily as a cool ocean breeze from their brains to the keyboard and instantly out into the world. This is not always a good thing. I think there are some things we can try now in the classroom to prepare kids to be better global media citizens now and in their futures. Paper is still important! Paper and pen or pencil is a great rehearsal tool. Kids should use it to plan what they will be putting out there for the world to see on a class wiki or website. They definitely should use it at least at first to rehearse things they might say to others in comments on the web. My students have enjoyed our "Morning Tweets" board where each of them writes (tweets) a 140 character or less message to share with our class. Just one example of using paper to practice good manners and form. Why not try a "Paper Blog"? You can see many variations of this all over the internet (a great resource for ideas!) , but the best explanation and model of this comes from a teacher-blogger called "McTeach". I loved to use her paper blogging lesson with my students before assigning each to their own wikipage within our classroom wikipage. These paper blogs make a beautiful display on your bulletin board or walls, and the sticky note comments give kids practice in writing nice comments. The ancient advice from our grandparents before the dawn of the digital age still applies: "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all!" Rehearse on paper before trying social media. Journals, diaries, and reflections in Interactive Notebooks are all great ways to give kids a chance to rehearse the way they express themselves with words. Make some of these rehearsals meaningful to our digital natives by trying out answers in the format of different social media sites. Twitter: Write your response in fewer than 140 characters. Texting: What would a text conversation look like between you and the author of your book? What would it look like between two characters in that book? Facebook: Write your response as if you are posting it on Facebook. Make a list under what you've written of who might "like" it. Instagram: Draw a "photo" of the scene and create a hashtag for it. Blog: What would you write in the "About Me" section of your blog. Web page: If you could create your own webpage, what would be on it? What would it look like? These are just a few suggestions to be sure that your kids can rehearse and get feedback on these rehearsals from classmates and from you before "sailing it out" into the world. When your students are posting online, you might be held responsible for poor digital citizenship. Don't let it happen to you! Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, and then get parent permission. Start slowly, allowing a few students at a time to post on your class site, Keep it small and manageable at first. Gradually add more students as good role models become established. Google: a new frontier in the classroom More good digital stuff is headed to our classrooms: all things Google! My district has given up Microsoft tools in favor of Google apps for teachers and students alike. Chromebooks all around! It really does feel like a new frontier with all the usual reactions among teachers: the early adopters, the step to the front trainers, and the hiding behind a pile of papers trying not to be noticed overwhelmed digital tourists. The great news here is that a dedicated group of teacher-authors at TpT have joined with Danielle Knight (of Study All Knight fame), a true digital pioneer, to create learning resources for teachers to share with their students on the road to creating paperless classrooms. These resources are virtually "plug and play". The teacher purchases the resource, gets a code to an online Google slide presentation, and shares that presentation with students. Students make a copy, complete the work/research/writing, and return their finished document to the teacher for grading. You can get a smaller car! No more piles of projects and notebooks to haul home every weekend! My contribution to this amazing advancement so far is a series of resources for Women's History Month, available separately as a printable PDF (for paper-pencil practice or a slower immersion into all things Google), and also as a Google Slides presentation, complete with text boxes for your students to fill and a few movable pieces. I'm hoping to finish this series in time for your Wax Museum presentations in the spring. (Project ideas are included so kids can step away from the computer after learning a lot, and apply their learning in a hands-on way. I still think kids to make stuff and get a little messy!) Also in the plans: Google makeovers of some of my most popular resources, including Close Reads. As you travel that digital highway, I hope you'll take a look at my first Women's History Bundle for third grade through sixth: Digital Learning Day 2016--Why Should You Try Something New? Because Your Students Will Thank You. My students thank me all the time for the new “stuff” we are doing this year. Go ahead--take the plunge! Believe me, if you have access to any sort of technology (even one device), then do it. That one tablet or laptop can open up a window to a universe of instructional opportunities. Your students will want to get to that tech center. Digital Learning Day, February 17, 2016, is ultimately about bringing equal opportunity to our classrooms, regardless of location or socioeconomic status. It is about the importance of having access to Wi-Fi and up-to-date technology in our schools. Many schools have technology that is not working or that is out-of-date. State and local governments are now focusing on getting it all fixed so that our school children can succeed in the 21st century. Here's the challenge--On February 17, 2016, try a new lesson that focuses on discovery, analysis, and exploration. Give your students the gift of a new opportunity by using Google Classroom, MS OneDrive, or an App. And don’t forget to share what you are doing in your classroom on social media to celebrate Digital Learning Day with #futureready. To help you get started, we’ve teamed up to share an amazing selection of blog posts and classroom activities that are designed to propel you and your students into your digital learning adventure.
Establishing a positive classroom culture can be a tricky endeavor. You want your classroom to be a warm and inviting place for students to feel welcome and for learning to feel enjoyable, yet at the
Establishing a positive classroom culture can be a tricky endeavor. You want your classroom to be a warm and inviting place for students to feel welcome and for learning to feel enjoyable, yet at the
You might be done or very close to being done for the school year. Still, I wanted to cover 3 great end of year suggestions I highly recommend before you exit for the summer. This
Establishing a positive classroom culture can be a tricky endeavor. You want your classroom to be a warm and inviting place for students to feel welcome and for learning to feel enjoyable, yet at the
We're back to look at the methods of bite-sized learning. Last time we defined what bite-sized learning is and how it began. This week we'll look at many of the different types and styles of
We're back to look at the methods of bite-sized learning. Last time we defined what bite-sized learning is and how it began. This week we'll look at many of the different types and styles of
What is Bite-Sized Learning? The world of education is changing. Attention spans are getting smaller. Digital screens are replacing paper pages. Personalized plans are for everyone. Self-paced learning is sweeping through classrooms. When all that
Classroom organization can be a struggle for many people. I know when I was completing my student teaching and just had papers to manage, I was a HOT MESS! A whole classroom wasn't something I
Classroom organization can be a struggle for many people. I know when I was completing my student teaching and just had papers to manage, I was a HOT MESS! A whole classroom wasn't something I
End of year activities are a great way to celebrate the best time of the year. The class is gelling, the memories are abundant, and the warm weather has finally hit. You can finally get
I want to discuss seating charts, but first let's start with some definitions. Heterogeneous is to be diverse in character or content while homogeneous is to be the same kind or alike. It is very
If you've been searching for the Aztecs and ideas to teach, you may have been searching for a while. There are not a lot of resources out there, readily available and free for your use.
I love hands-on learning! So when the pandemic first hit and schools shut down, I panicked. I felt like my love of hands-on learning was lost and there was no way to get it back.
A new school year can be challenging, a new school...intimidating, but add in a brand new school building with a newly formed school and it can become
I want to discuss seating charts, but first let's start with some definitions. Heterogeneous is to be diverse in character or content while homogeneous is to be the same kind or alike. It is very
I want to discuss seating charts, but first let's start with some definitions. Heterogeneous is to be diverse in character or content while homogeneous is to be the same kind or alike. It is very
By mid to late July every year, I can't wait to go back to school to get my classroom setup. I miss grading papers. I dream about school. And I can’t help but work on
If you know anything about me and the products I create, you know I love interactive notebooks or living books as we used to call them back in the day.
End of year activities are a great way to celebrate the best time of the year. The class is gelling, the memories are abundant, and the warm weather has finally hit. You can finally get
5 Ways to avoid disasters when students are collaborating in Google Drive
If you are getting started with Interactive Notebooks, then this blog post is just for you. With information on choosing the right book, page numbering, envelopes, bookmarks, and tables of contents, this post has it all to help you get started on the right foot. Help your upper elementary and middle school students shine with interactive notebooks that scream organization, structure, knowledge, & fun. Ideal for social studies, history, math, science, and ela, interactive notebooks are the best.
Establishing a positive classroom culture can be a tricky endeavor. You want your classroom to be a warm and inviting place for students to feel welcome and for learning to feel enjoyable, yet at the
Click here for resources you'll love
Teacher appreciation week is approaching. In case you didn't know, it's usually the first or second week of May, and it's a time for teachers to be
Build a positive classroom culture through relationships, interaction, recognition, and more. This blog post gives 6 great ideas and is part of a hop
Click to read this blog post and be inspired to set up your own Reggio inspired classroom.
Formative assessments, such as response cards, are a range of formal and informal assessments. Teachers use them during the learning process in order to determine the following. Where their students learning abilities are atIf teaching
I love hands-on learning! So when the pandemic first hit and schools shut down, I panicked. I felt like my love of hands-on learning was lost and there was no way to get it back.
If you are getting started with Interactive Notebooks, then this blog post is just for you. With information on choosing the right book, page numbering, envelopes, bookmarks, and tables of contents, this post has it all to help you get started on the right foot. Help your upper elementary and middle school students shine with interactive notebooks that scream organization, structure, knowledge, & fun. Ideal for social studies, history, math, science, and ela, interactive notebooks are the best.
If you've been searching for the Aztecs and ideas to teach, you may have been searching for a while. There are not a lot of resources out there, readily available and free for your use.
One of the best ways to stop attention seeking behavior is to share those expectations with your students and following these tips...
