Viewing: Middle School
Ya’ Never Know: Their Book is Not Yet Written
So during the last 3 days of each school year, for the past 15 years, I do an assignment called The Courtesy Contract. Sometimes, students reach out to me years later to see what they had written during middle school
Digital Revision Stations
have been using revision stations for a few years now in one way or another. Revision stations are a way to structure learning that allows a student to rotate to different locations and/or activities that each serve a different purpose.
PBL Secret Sauce #3: Aligning the Standards to Your PBL Unit
Here’s my new screencast showing two ways I ensure that any unit I design or adapt is aligned to our required standards. In a nutshell: Plan around a particular standard and design with that standard(s) in mind from the
PBL Secret Sauce #2: Student-Generated Questions
For Part II in my PBL video series, I thought I’d share how I integrate student-generated questions throughout the sequence of the unit. In other words, the students generate the prompts that help propel them along the PBL journey. This
A Book Review From My Students: Mia Lee is Wheeling Through Middle School
PBL is about meaningful learning, and sometimes that means keeping my antennae up to identify possible ways to bring that authenticity to my students. Sometimes, however, an opportunity falls into my lap. Such is the case with this book review
PBL Secret Sauce #1: The Entry Level Event
I know that when teachers learn about Project Based Learning, many times they walk away with the rationale, the research, and the overview of what a unit might look like. But sometimes teachers still have questions about the day-to-day implementation.
ADVICE FOR A TWEEN PARENT (ME) FROM A TWEEN TEACHER (ALSO ME)
My kid is now deep into his 11th year on this planet, and as such, will begin middle school tomorrow. Now, with my area of expertise, you’d expect me to find some relief in this fact; after all, up until
End-Of-Year Reflection: The Epic Poem Haiku
As we’re ending the school year, I know that the tween brains in my classroom are all silently deciding what information will be transferred to long-term memory and what will forever be taken out with the trash. To hopefully avoid
The Internet Research Game & 3D Printing: No Whammies!
So in an attempt to broaden the use of the 3D printers in my room, beyond that of my Maker-themed ELA class, I thought I’d leverage the curiosity for the devices as an incentive for my additional classes. That way,
7 Steps to Help Students Succeed on Assessments
This year, I was given a class of LTELs (long-term English Language Learners) and recently exited SPED students with the goal of focusing my lesson implementation on engagement and more social-emotional learning. So we’re leading up to our first grade-level
Gotta Catch ‘Em All: Using Pokemon Go in my 3D Printing/ELA Class
I’ve written before about the power of using pop culture in the classroom, and this fall will be no different in Room 1. Admittedly, I can’t say I’m a huge Pokemon fan. It’s one of the cartoons I limit in my
The Argh Wall! Celebrating Failure in the Classroom: A Lesson For Writing & Making
So, I’ve been writing lately about my new class that I’m developing for next year called Make Writing. I’ve been writing curriculum for this class that leverages 3D printing in order to teach Literacy and Writing. The class itself is
Alternative Strategies for Assessing Learning: Larry Ferlazzo Classroom Q & A Podcast
“Whether they’re doing a portfolio or a performance task, they still want to see How do I stack up?” I had a lot of fun being interviewed for Larry Ferlazzo’s podcast about alternatives to grading and traditional assessments. The follow-up
Kids Speak Out on Student Engagement
Hey, middle school and high school teachers and parents! Can you do me a favor? I am polling thousands of kids nationwide on what engages them the most in how they learn. This is based on a survey of 500
Eeny, Meeny, Mino, Moe: Which 3D Printer Should We Own?
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the start of my journey to create a Language Arts and ELD class that leveraged 3D printing as a means to initiate a more purposeful curriculum for reading and writing. I will be
5 Nonfiction + Novels Series: The Middle School Edition for Dec. 2015
My newest post is the first in a series in which I’m collaborating with Talks with Teachers podcaster and blogger, Brian Sztabnik. Brian not only moderates the #aplitchat on Twitter but also writes the 5 Nonfiction + Novels series for
Celebrating the Refugees Already in Our Classrooms: Memories and Advice From a Student
In June 2001, a family of four escaped from the slaughter of Nepal and made their way across the world to safety. They arrived, not in boats dragged up on shore, but in the arms of families who helped them
Who Was I In Middle School? A Reflection + Free Downloadable
t times, seeing the diversity in my own students, I’ve wondered who I was when I was in middle school and what really drove my tween’s brain. So I created a Tip 10 list of memories to help me reflect
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