Rick Smith said, “Teaching is like trying to fly a plane while building it.” You learn as you go, and unfortunately, you mostly learn what doesn’t work before you learn what does work. Cue our new series -- Rookie Teacher Mistakes. Rookie Mistakes are a series of common pitfalls that we make as teachers and tips to rectify and/or prevent them from happening. No judgment here; the ...
Math Intervention
A Starter Guide to Math Intervention
how to structure, implement, and find success with your intervention class
Using Scholastic Magazines to Reach Reluctant Readers
Last summer, Scholastic Magazines reached out and graciously offered to partner with the blog for the school year. It was a unique opportunity to get an incredible resource in the hands of students, and we wanted to share about the experience. Teacher Takeaways from a Year with Scholastic By far, the biggest takeaway was my ability to reach reluctant readers. We have all had ...
The Middle School Syllabus
Let's discuss your class syllabus. Did your eyes just glaze over? That’s what happened when I went over my class syllabus with my students the first year I taught. Your class syllabus does not have to be boring! Here are some ways to keep your students informed and interested (and an editable freebie to get you started.) 1. Keep YOUR SYLLABUS Simple Do not over-inform. Ask ...
Why You Should Attend a Math Conference
If you are reading this blog, then chances are that you love teaching; more specifically, you love teaching math! Teaching and teaching math are a multi-faceted skills that require us to constantly learn: new strategies, new techniques, new ways to use intervention, new models, and the list goes on and on. Math conferences are a place for teachers to sharpen their skills and learn from ...
Teacher To-Do List: Summer 2018 Edition
Summer is mere weeks away, and I know that the countdowns have already begun. This time last year*, I would wake up and think to myself, “Only 2 more Mondays left...10 school days... 7 instruction days...” You name it; I was counting it down. My summers are shorter than the typical schools’ summers, so I want to make the absolute most of every day. And, in typical teacher fashion, I ...
10 Ways to Use Task Cards in Your Classroom
There seems to be no shortage of task cards out there as a resource for students and teachers. The question is how to incorporate these tools as meaningful and engaging work in your classroom. I have compiled a list of ideas how I have used task cards in the last year or how I have seen other teachers use task cards. 10 Ways to Use Task Cards 1. Extension This is a no-brainer. ...
5 Ideas for Teacher Organization
As teachers, we are always looking for new and better ways to do things. I think it’s part of our nature. I remember in my first year teaching, I bought those office trays that I used for students to collect and turn in papers. The trouble was that the papers would get crammed in there, some would fall out, and oftentimes, students would slip them in the wrong tray! The next ...
Extension Ideas for Early Finishers
Even when working with a 50-minute class period, there will be times when students complete their work quickly and need something “to do” for the last few minutes of class. If you have a longer class period, then likely this happens more frequently, and it’s something to be prepared for. If not, then you will end up saying something like, “Work on something quietly at your desk.” ...
Personal Financial Literacy Activities for Middle School
When Texas changed the Math TEKS several years ago, they began incorporating a strand called Personal Financial Literacy. I love how they are taking real life concepts that our children will face as growing teens and adults and are incorporating them into our state standards. However, I do wonder about the age-appropriateness of some of them….but alas, we teach the standards. ...
Student Data Tracking That You Can Keep Up With
This year I have implemented student data tracking as one of my primary focuses to drive my instruction. I’ve been using daily exit tickets for years, and they would help me decide if I need to reteach a skill. But I wasn’t tracking the data in a way that motivated my students and doing it daily seemed impossible when I tried. I have over 100 students! This year I have a system that I ...
