Viewing: Curriculum
40 Strategies for Teaching ELD Students
I love the teachers in my Language Arts department. Ever since I became department chair, they have been willing to go on so many curricular adventures with me. If I ask to try a collaborative website, they are game. If
The Common Core Tabloid: Truth vs. Hearsay
So much is hearsay right now about the Common Core, it feels like the educational system has become a tabloid in their interpretation of what does not even exist yet. In fact, from this level of speculation has sprouted a
CATE keynote: Project Based Writing
I recently presented at the CATE conference to a great audience of enthusiastic teachers. CATE, the California Association of Teachers of English, is a great organization with an amazingly supportive group whose heart beats with the love of the Writing
Teaching Beyond the Bell
In celebration of The California Writing Project and Digital Learning Day, I was asked to write a post on some of what I’m doing with technology in the classroom. So I decided to write about what I’m actually doing
Tweenteacher Class on Project Based Writing
Hey all, Guess what? I’m going to be facilitating a class for Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach’s Powerful Learning Practice. The six-week course is on Project Based Writing, a strategic way to bring in authentic assessments and meaningful learning into any Language Arts
Edutopia Post: Trying Something New in Your Classroom for 30 Days
I’ve just recently posted a new article on my Edutopia blog, one that challenges teachers to try something new in their classroom for 30 days. As many of my readers know, my students are currently working on their Advocacy/Memoir speeches
Choosing a Topic for our Ted.com Speeches
I’m currently prepping my classes for another research unit, this one a blend of Memoir, Advocacy, and Speech Writing. After all, never in real life are genres categorized. They blend together; and the Common Core assessments to come recognize the
How the Interactive Whiteboard is Really Ed Tech’s Laserdisk
I’m taking a class at Walden University right now, and a recent prompt asked us to identify a future technology. I took a moment to reflect on this country’s current enthusiastic roll-out of Interactive Whiteboards, and why I feel strongly
Free Tweenteacher Webinar: Moving Beyond the Bubble: 21st Century Assessments
On Monday, Oct 17, I will be presenting a free webinar for my publisher, Eye On Education. You can register here. In it, I’ll be sharing what I have learned about the upcoming Common Core standards and how they will
Teaching the Executive Summary: Applying Real Life to School Life
OK, so there they are: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They are in your audience and have their checkbooks out looking for a new cause to fund. Will it be yours? So began my schpeel on writing an Executive Summary
Edutopia post: 20 Ways to Model Technology
My latest post on Edutopia is not just about using technology, but about modeling it as a means to teach it. After all, students need to be immersed in an environment of usage. So don’t feel bad if you don’t
DARPA project con’t: Research and Questioning
As my readers may know, my students are planning for the future of the human species. This year, as I have described in an earlier post, I am dedicating much of the year to Project-Based Learning and trying to make
Start of the Year Nuts and Bolts: Checklist for the First Day
Introduction Handout with expectations and grading procedures. Check. Publishing Release Form. Check. PG-13 Video/Clip Release Form to cover me for the whole school year. Check. Set up YouTube Channel even though I have no idea how to use it yet.
Frontloading for the school year: Setting up my classroom website
One of the things that many people don’t know about me is that, while I wear the costume of a tech savvy teacher, I’m really tech tentative at heart. In other words, I so recently became a convert to using
The Power of the Backchannel Discussion: Todaysmeet.com
Sometime ago, I began experimenting with Twitter in the classroom as a means to create a B-storyline of Think Alouds, questions, and Advice from students in different classrooms. The point was to create an academic-level note-passing environment that could function
Eye On Education Webinar: The Skills of Tomorrow for the Students of Today
I recently presented a webinar for my publisher, Eye on Education, about some of the topics in my new book, ‘Tween Crayons and Curfews: Tips for Middle School Teachers. It all started with a survey I conducted of my readers
Sexy Data Analysis: Google Motion Charts
My district has started up a great summer professional development workshop series this summer. They asked teachers all over the district if they would like to teach a skill to other teachers, and in so doing, we have a heck
Tweenteacher Article on 21st Century Assessments
How do we teach and assess the skills for a 21st Century world and still cater to 20th Century assessments if testing dictates curriculum? This is the topic I tackle in this month’s edition of Education Week’s Teacher Professional Sourcebook.
What is a Teacher’s Shelf Life?
My OBGYN was running about 45 minutes late. I had no cell phone reception at the hospital and I had already read through the latest Entertainment Weekly, so I got out some paper and pen and started planning out my
Blogging with Middle Schoolers: Frontloading and First Steps
So I just finished introducing blogging to my middle school classes. They are hooked, as each year before them was hooked. I use it as a substitute for Reading Logs, that dreaded love-of-reading killer which causes eye rolls in many
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