Quality lessons for the busy teacher
Philosophical chairs are an activity that gets students to take a stance on a blanket statement and try to convince their peers to move to their side. For example, a topic might be “Water is wet” and students must decide if yes, water is wet, or no, water is not wet. They use argumentation and reasoning skills to sway their peers.
Wondering how to teach This Is My America by Kim Johnson? This article goes over some engaging strategies to get students analyzing this novel on social justice and the judicial system.
Read this before you add This Is My America to your classroom library. What’s it about? This Is My America centers around Tracy and her family, dealing with her father who is in his last few months on death row, for a crime he didn’t commit. The novel follows as Tracy moves mountains to get help from Innocence X, an… Read More
Don’t, and I mean DON’T, just buy all the books for your classroom library at full retail value. I know the pressure is there from looking at gorgeous book shelves on social media or even when peeking at your neighboring teacher’s classroom. There are a few tips and tricks that teachers use to build up their library shelves, whether its… Read More
When I was in school, I knew the first few days of school would always be reading from the syllabus. It was mind-numbingly dull, did nothing to keep me awake, and was serious motivation to doodle and daydream. Years later, as a teacher, I would figure out that the first day of school didn’t have to be boring. Here are some ideas on fun things to do:
Okay, I know. Using really old texts by white guys seems like a recipe for poor classroom engagement. But it doesn’t have to be! One of the standards in the informational text involves looking at U.S. seminal documents. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.9Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter… Read More
These activities are reflective and fun. Students get to demonstrate their creativity in these end of year activities with things like comics and collages, while looking back at their year. As teachers, we know how important it is to reflect on lessons, classroom management, and the year overall. And it is important to impart this skill on students as well.
Seminal US documents, while dense with academic concepts and perfect for teaching a wealth of standards, can seem like pretty darn poor choices for engagement. I mean, what teen wants to read about dead, old people? I am here to tell you it IS possible to shake up student engagement with seminal US documents. First let’s break down the common… Read More
National Poetry Month is here. I used to be hesitant to teach poetry. To be honest, I still am sometimes. But I have learned a few things about teaching poetry that have transformed my life. Scaffold, scaffold, scaffold. 1) Scaffold, scaffold, scaffold. I think this one falls by the wayside sometimes with upper grades. I know I personally would forget… Read More
Amanda Gorman’s poem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration was a show stopper. My thoughts were spinning trying to absorb the poem, analyze it, and witness the sheer impact of a young black woman reciting a poem at an inauguration. As a teacher and a mother, I can’t emphasize how incredibly important it was to see a young black woman reciting… Read More