Free Resources

Depth & Complexity Frames

Free, editable frames for use with the Depth & Complexity icons are hard to find. This free, editable PowerPoint shares two free frames to use with the Depth & Complexity icons, as well as instructions and copy-and-pastable (is that a word???) icons. What are Depth and Complexity Frames? Depth and

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Depth and Complexity Poetry Annotation Activity

When teachers are working with Depth and Complexity, one of the challenges they face is how to adapt already-existing content to the framework. It can seem harder to take what you have and infuse it with high-level thinking than to just start from scratch. In addition to the articles on

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clock

New Year Teaching Ideas

Almost every teaching idea about New Year’s Day focuses on making resolutions. I wanted to create something different for teachers, and I wanted it to be something that had a variety of ideas. Of course it had be able to done virtually and it had to look good. Oh, and

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digital kanban board

Digital Kanban Board for Students

If you’ve got students or a child struggling to keep track of assignments or feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work they need to accomplish, a Kanban board may be the answer. A Kanban board is simple to use, motivating, and has proven its usefulness over decades. It’s odd to

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bear hunt signs

Teddy Bear Crossing Bear Hunt Signs

Have you see the cute Bear Hunt movement that’s sweeping the country as kiddos find themselves isolated from peers and normal social interaction? How it works is that neighbors put teddy bears in their windows, and children try to spot the bears. It’s adorable. Want to see some in action

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Group Work Feedback: How and Why

If you want to do group work really well, you need to allow the students to give feedback on how they worked in groups, and you need to share that feedback in a loving, gentle way. Here’s how. Why you need to solicit feedback from students You need to offer

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Monitoring Student Progress with Progress Cards

Monitoring students as they work independently or in groups can be tricksty. Here are issues I’ve encountered: I can’t tell who’s done and who’s not. Students who have questions raise their hands and sigh loudly when I don’t magically appear next to their desks. (Bonus for heavy sighs followed by

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HOmework Help - The Homework Plan and Checklist

Homework Help: Using the Homework Plan and Checklist

Homework Help is a Checklist Away Homework causes stress in homes across the country. Probably the world, really. I wrote some tips for avoiding the homework battle recently, and one of tips I suggested was to use a homework checklist. I looked around and couldn’t find any that I loved,

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Free printable Christmas bookmarks

Free Printable Christmas Bookmarks

I’m sharing a set of free printable Christmas bookmarks I made with all of you because if you’re like me, you’re giving some books as gifts this holiday season. I’m sharing some book recommendations, too! About the Bookmarks I designed these Christmas bookmarks in color and in black and white

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The Key to Excellent Lesson Plans

The Key to Excellent Lesson Plans

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

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