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Students love to play games in the classroom. At least mine always have! However, the hardest part for me has been to combine learning and fun in a healthy balance. If the lesson is too boring, I’ve lost my class’s interest. Too much fun and the lesson has lost all
Walking in A Winter Wonderland (of possibilities) Hey, Y’all! Winter is FINALLY here! Well, Winter for the south at least. When we moved to Montgomery, Alabama from Florida in my 4th-grade year, I saw light snow flurries a couple of times, but it wasn’t until my junior year in
You’re terrified. Your heart is pounding, and your chest feels like it’s going to EXPLODE! You breathe faster and faster as sweat drips from your shaking hands. Are you going to die? NO. You’re just listening to a SCARY STORY. Being scared is exciting, right? If it wasn’t, why would
Distance Learning combined with Passion Projects provides your students with an independent study they will love and be motivated to complete. During this time when you are scrambling to find engaging activities for your students, I recommend using Passion Projects. They spice up your lessons and meet both the academic
Passion Projects were a staple in my gifted enrichment classroom in the 1970s. Back in those days, we called them Type III enrichment activities (Renzulli Enrichment Model) or Independent Studies. But thankfully, things changed as general education has embraced the concepts of thinking skills, creative production, and talent development. Today
Are your students reluctant writers? Do you have reluctant writers who either write terrible stories, or hate writing altogether? I used to have to pull teeth to get any decent narrative writing out of my kiddos. Whenever I announced we were going to write about something, they’d moan and groan,
Self-reflection is one of the most powerful practices to improve teaching. When you practice self-reflection regularly, it will completely transform your classroom and instruction. Furthermore, self-reflection can take you from being a good teacher to being a great teacher. Are you ready to begin the transformation? The old me –
Why should we teach analogies? An analogy is simply a comparison of two things that are usually thought of as being different, but are similar in some way. They are written in a specific format such as apple : fruit :: carrot : vegetable. It reads: apple is to fruit
Are there any kiddos in your class with a fixed math mindset? Do they give up or refuse to attempt to solve a math problem if they’re afraid they will get a wrong answer? Are they reluctant to take on challenges and refuse to take a risk if they aren’t
What are Slip It and Flip It self checking phonics games? Slip it and Flip Its are fun, engaging, hands-on self correcting games. They provide independent practice designed to purposefully and meaningfully reinforce skills and concepts taught in the classroom. Because they are self correcting, students receive immediate feedback.
Teachers over fifty (or even sixty) still have lots to offer! WHAAT??? You read that right! Apparently in teaching, everyone starts assuming you’re close to RETIREMENT when you hit 25 years. I started teaching when I was 20, so I was only 45 when I reached the 25 year milestone. Each spring when
Teaching gifted kids in the regular classroom can be a challenge. Do you sometimes feel like you’re “losing it”? Do you not really know how to meet the needs of these kids when you have so many kids who have IEP’s, 504 Plans, or are in the RTI process? Don’t despair,
