Make Your Students Want To Use Correct Grammar!

Raise your virtual hand if you have ever had a student over the age of eight years old who still doesn't put capital letters at the beginning of his or her sentences. Every year, I receive countless of these students, along with the students who don't write in complete sentences and the students who don't bother putting any punctuation whatsoever in a paper.

Using Pop Culture To Teach Reading Concepts (Minilesson suggestions included!)

I have been in many classrooms where the introduction to a reading skill consists of copying notes, maybe reading a short story together, and then practice worksheets. While I know the teachers who are creating these lessons are intelligent, creative, and hardworking educators who do many wonderful things in their classrooms once they get past this introductory stage, even I find myself drifting off during these lessons. I can only imagine what this experience is like for students who hate reading and fail to see its relevance to their lives.

To battle this boredom and make introductory lessons more meaningful, I use pop culture to introduce my lessons. Here’s why:

1. It keeps students engaged.

I have been asked if using music videos to introduce theme or a documentary to introduce main idea dilutes students' understanding of the concepts. My response is always to ask if stories that are sung don't have themes that are as important. I think my students' understanding is actually enhanced by using these media, because everyone gets actively engaged in these introductory lessons.

How I Taught My Middle Schoolers The Value Of Everyday Heroism

  Perhaps you've been in that meeting where the principal/district administrator/some other person who is not in a classroom declares that you are going to solve all the problems of middle school by integrating some form of social emotional learning into the classroom. Likely, this was accompanied by some form of internal or external groaning, as you realized that you had one more thing to do in your already over-stretched class.

    This blog is going to focus a lot on how social emotional learning can actually be the basis for an extremely rigorous and fulfilling curriculum. Turns out, that administrator may have been right 😃 Reading, writing, and discussion can lead to better citizenship, more empathy, and just generally better human beings.

    Today's post will not focus on rigorous reading or writing, however, but will again ask students to work on building their discussion skills (see posts about teaching academic discussion skills here and here). One of the first tasks I ask students to do as a community building exercise is to complete and present a Pyramid of Heroism.

A completed Pyramid of Heroism.

ARGH! Absences! Tips and Lessons For Easy, Successful Absences

       I always envy my friends in corporate positions who talk about the doctor's appointment or lunch that they just "ducked out for" (for three hours!). Teaching is not one of those careers where you can "duck out for" anything, unless you're okay with the possibility of a fistfight.

     So I literally spent WEEKS trying to convince one of my good friends to reschedule her wedding that was going to be held during the first week of school. Being absent during the first week falls in my top ten list for nightmares. Not surprisingly, she was not impressed by my pleas.

    I used to spend hours preparing for subs. I would write out detailed plans related to our current unit, print and label everything with color-coded Post-it Notes, and then realize I had made a typo and start all over. You can't make up this level of inane time-wasting.

The Classroom Management Technique That Completely Changed My Classroom Culture

     No one wants to feel like their time is being wasted. As someone who has sat through 18 years of schooling and five more of professional development,  I know that I want to walk into any learning opportunity and know what I'm going to take away from it and why that learning matters. My students (and yours!) are no different. If they are going to be sitting in your class instead of playing Minecraft, there had better be a darn good reason for it.

     To begin meeting that need, we take a day in the first few weeks of school to collaboratively construct a class purpose. Doing so gives students the vision to see why what they are doing is important.

5 Engaging Ways to Teach Theme

Theme is one of my favorite concepts to teach, because it is so relevant to the world around us. Each of us lives a story, and each day has lessons to teach. Students often easily connect with this concept, because it is inherent to each fairy tale and fable that we tell to even our youngest children. 

Here are my five favorite ways to teach theme:

Engaging Students With Rereading, Part 2--Lesson Plan Included!

Yesterday, I explained how I begin getting students excited for the idea that we will reread many texts throughout the year. Today, I'll be talking about the clincher of that lesson, when students can actually see the impact of this practice immediately. I call this a "Power Read," and it's always a powerful tool.

Step 1: Give students an article of your choosing (I like this one that I have slightly modified), and instruct students that all they are to do is read it. Don't write on it, don't highlight it, just read and think about the big ideas of the article.