Today’s post comes from an email I recently received from Tanya, one of our newest English teacher colleagues (used with permission):
Hi there! I’m a first-year teacher and I’ve been a fan of your blog since I started my credential program. Your first day stations activity was a life saver! I was hoping you could give me some advice. Continue reading
You ready? Day 1 starts soon, so let’s talk about some lesson plan ideas for the first five days of school:
Today’s topic comes from an email exchange (used with permission) with one of our colleagues in the art department:
Hi Laura,
I was just watching your video on troublemakers and how to handle them. I really appreciate the refresher. I used that technique at the beginning of my teaching career but in recent years got caught up in students’ non-stop bad behaviors and basically gave up out of exhaustion. I’m an art teacher and will be starting at a new school in a couple of weeks. It’s a dream job. My strength is content knowledge not discipline. But I want this year to be the beginning of a new era for me, so I’ve been doing my own form of professional development this summer. Continue reading
During last week’s video on class participation, I realized I needed to give more info about “Quarter Trios,” a routine that’s added fun, built community, and helped me run the classroom efficiently. Let’s do this thing! Continue reading
Today’s post comes from a recent email from a member of our community (used with permission); also, there’s a video version of my answer at the end of the post if you prefer to listen rather than read.
Laura,
Thanks for your great videos and materials. I implemented your essay codes this year and am very happy with the results! I was wondering if any of your videos cover class participation? I’m constantly running into the issue of trying to motivate all kids to participate rather than just the usual suspects.
Thanks again,
Ryan Continue reading
Some of us aren’t even on summer vacation yet and folks are already talking about planning for next year. I know, I know… Still, two emails arrived this week asking which teacher planner I use, so here’s a quick video to explain how I save a fistful of cash each year. And if you’re not ready to think about any of this until August, I’m cool with that, too. Continue reading
Note: This is an updated repost featuring some of my favorite end-of-the-year lesson ideas.
You’ve wrapped your last major unit and final exams are still a week away. You could spend five days playing Review Jeopardy (uh…no, thanks) or you could grab some of these tried-and-true resources that’ll keep kids focused until finals. Continue reading
