The key to excellent lesson plans is deceptively simple. It is a single question every teacher must ask when planning. The question is this: What will happen in the life of the learner as a result of this lesson? The role of objectives. Do you see that this is bigger than writing out a bunch […]
Reading Buddies – Ideas and a Freebie
Reading Buddies can improve reading fluency, decrease anxiety in reluctant or stressed readers, and add a bit of cuddly fun to reading, making it even more pleasurable than it usually is! A Reading Buddy can be another student, or, as I’m going to talk about here, a stuffed animal or toy. Why Reading Buddies? Reading […]
Christmas Story Collection – Free Audio Download
There’s nothing like a wonderful Christmas story to get you in the holiday season, and I’ve recorded a few of my favorites for free download. I’ve annotated the list to share why I think it’s a great shareable story. You can click on each title or image to hear or download the individual story, or […]
Why I Joined Teachers Pay Teachers
I recently joined Teachers Pay Teachers as a seller, and I thought I’d share why I joined Teachers Pay Teachers & what I think so far. It started with a friend’s suggestion Like so many things in my life, it began with the suggestion of a friend of mine. Laurie Westphal is a Gifted consultant like […]
Differentiating for Rigor in the ELA Classroom
Differentiating a challenging course can confuse even experienced educators. How do we add rigor to something already rigorous? It can feel like gilding the lily. Yet, even in advanced courses, the students are different. They have different levels of ability, interest and preparation. Where there is need in students, there is opportunity for great teaching. […]
Quick and easy brain breaks with dice!
Brain breaks are wonderful, and they’re best when they’re quick and easy. Using nothing more than a handful of dice and a free printable, I’ve got 30 quick and easy brain breaks you can do with absolutely no prep. Why Use Brain Breaks? If you read what I wrote about the reticular activating system, you […]
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