Viewing: Teacher Resources
Training Judges for a Speech Tournament: A Reflection on How Students (Even Adults) Learn
e just finished hosting our first quarter speech tournament on Friday night. Our league, to our knowledge, is one of the largest middle school leagues in the country, and the coaches meet frequently to ensure that our tournaments run as
What is the Purpose of School?: Understanding Purpose Helps with Student Motivation (updated)
start my school year with a little blog post about what students think school is all about. It begins a year-long conversation about purpose that I then refer to throughout the school year. “What is the purpose of the digital
Organizing Google Drive For Your New School Year
I have drunk the Google Drive Kool-Aid. I used it daily last year, and I am now a convert. However, as a result of my recent condition that I’m calling Googlenthusiasm, my inbox and Drive are now ready for a
Having Any Nightmares About the Start of School Yet?
I posted the following on Facebook earlier today and got such a fun response, I just had to put it out there in a bigger way: Had my first start-of-year-stress-dream last night. My collaborative tables had been replaced with
So You Think You Can Dance + Math = STEAM
I just wanted to share a quick classroom resource today that I stumbled on in my TiVO feed. I admit it, I’m a So You Think You Can Dance geek. It’s always been a great show in terms of modeling
Big ‘Ol List of CUE Resources
Hey all! For those who saw me present at CUE in Palm Springs, here is the list of many of the resources I mentioned in my presentation, “From Pencils to Paperless: Developing a Blended Environment for Teens.” You may have
Let’s Talk About Speech, Baby: Speech & Debate and the Common Core
Besides being a Language Arts teacher, I am also a Speech and Debate coach. I haven’t written about it too much, not for any reason other than I spend a lot of time geeking out over curriculum design in teaching
What do Jeff Wilhelm and Ashton Kutcher Have in Common? : Teaching for Character
Earlier this December, I attended the UCI Writing Project annual conference. Every year, this conference douses a teacher in strategies to teach writing and literacy, and every year I come away with valuable methods and implementation goals. This year, the
Tips on Embedding Evidence: Writing with Numeracy
As we journey deeper into the world of Common Core, the need for factual evidence rather than emotional opinion becomes more and more vital. So that got me thinking in a more targeted way: as an ELA teacher, what are
Tween Brains, Part III: How to Work It Out In The Classroom
In part 1 and part 2 of my series on the tween brain, I covered why teachers need to become brain hobbiests and some key terms when learning about the brain. In this final post on the tween’s crazy cranium,
Going Paperless: The Digital Binder
I wanted to share a bit of what I’m doing in my various classrooms as a means to go paperless. To me, the need to go paperless is about two things: 1. The reams of paper that are used in
Honors Classes: The Need for More Diversity – Part II
In my recent Edutopia post, I posed a problem that is plaguing many schools today: that of racial inequity in our honors classes. Many of us at the middle school level are wondering what our role is in bridging gaps
“Managing the Hidden Differences in Your Classroom” : Bam Radio
We must embrace our diversity if we are to emerge a country that is a leader in this global community. I would like to think that it starts in our schools. And if it starts in our schools, and is
BYOD? They Already Do
A short post today on how the debate about bringing your own device to school is superfluous and antiquated. After all, they already do. Case in point: when a student wants to borrow a pencil, I have them leave collateral
A 1st Grader’s iPad Contract: An Acceptable Use Policy for the Home (Updated)
A few weeks ago, my parents called to tell me that my mom was getting the new iPad. They wanted to know if they could give my 6 year-old, Ben, her original one. We hadn’t been planning on getting him
Ring in the New Year by Remembering the Good
The weekend after Sandy Hook (see my brief thoughts here) I began thinking of ways to access the topic in different and more effective methods for my classes. They had left on that Friday not knowing what had happened. Of
New Shakespeare Collaborative Project: Anyone Interested?
Rarely do I hit up my readers for help, but I’m looking for classrooms to participate in, what I believe to be, a cool interdisciplinary Project Based Learning opportunity that combines Shakespeare and the digital era. I was talking to
Middle School Classroom Management Tip: Collaboration and Fluid Grouping Trick
Here’s a little fluid grouping trick I’ve written about in the past. I thought it might be fun to just record something to make it a little more tangible. The basic thought is that you can insert a little content
Edutopia Post: How Can We Make Assessments Meaningful?
My most recent post for Edutopia focuses on Meaningful Assessments. I’m currently working on that chapter for my new book, and it’s been on the brain as of late. In this post, I talk about using the 4Cs (Creativity, Critical-Thinking,
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
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