State testing. Field trips. Weird last-minute assembly schedules that turn your day upside down. No matter how well a teacher…
fun stuff
19 Works of Art to Help Teens Think
Fine art can help students develop analysis skills in quick, small doses. Ideally, those skills will transfer to literary analysis…
Very Necessary Brain Break
So my daughter bought an axolotl. Her name is Elvira – the amphibian, not the kid. She’s jet-black and looks…
Cell Phone Characterization Refresh
This week’s focus was on moving my “Whose phone is this?” worksheet into 2023. Thousands of teachers have used this…
Would Emily Dickinson want to be TikTok Famous?
Definitely not. But her famous poem, “I’m Nobody! Who are You?,” is a useful tool to help students consider their…
Free Daily Habit Tracker, Growth Mindset Printable
Happy almost new year! If you’re looking to make a change, this habit tracker worksheet might be just the boost…
Free! Story Path, Step-by-Step Storytelling Guide
As English teachers know, a lot of stories are the same story. Breaking down that successful narrative pattern with students…
Three of a Kind: A Bell-Ringer Game
How do you help teens settle in after the chaos of passing period? How do you build enthusiasm for learning…
Editable Worksheet Templates
Building a good worksheet is tricky.It has to be useful. No busywork.It has to guide students to do a lot…
Advice for a 6th Grade Writing Teacher
Today’s post is a question I received via email yesterday from a first-year teacher about to take on a summer…