Do you find yourself slogging through book reports that your students write? I remember thinking if I had to read one more paper with plodding sentences I was going to throw up. . . or at least throw the papers across the room. But then something occurred to me. I was assigning those ridiculous book … Continue reading Save Yourself from the Boring Book Report
I teach students who have multiple disabilities in grades 3-5. I have a unique class since some are from the district we are housed in and other students are from surrounding districts. It is a countywide program housed in a particular building. We have K-12th grade classes in 2 districts in the county. There are … Continue reading Tips for Lesson Plan Sharing
Inevitably, as you get to know your students at the beginning of a new school year, you also begin to think of new activities and variations on existing lessons that honor their personalities and learning styles. I know I did. I was full of ideas. What bothered me, though, was that when I was a … Continue reading Pandemonium With Purpose: Teaching Vocabulary and My Secret Weapon
After lunch my kids used to come barreling into the classroom. They had wolfed down lunches and then run off to play basketball or gossip among themselves. They came into class sweaty and chatty. They would throw their backpacks down, grab their books, pens and papers, and sprawl in their chairs. How would I ever … Continue reading Reading Aloud in Middle Grade Classrooms