Light Up the Holidays with Teaching

Kristen KoppersBlog, Lesson Planning, Student Engagement

TL;DR: Lesson planning in advance can be a way to express your creative side by collaborating and researching. Setting up holiday lights has many parallels to teaching and lesson planning. Students should be part of the design. With the holidays just around the corner, it brings out the spirit in most people. The fall season brings out the candles (yes, … Read More

Tech Better Using ISTE’s Standards for Students

Debbie TannenbaumBlog, Edtech, Lesson Planning

TL;DR: The ISTE student standards help students acquire skills to become a digital age learner. The 7 ISTE Standards for Students are categorized by: empowered learner, digital citizen, knowledge constructor, innovative designers, computational thinker, creative communicator, and global collaborator. Back in October 2021, I wrote about how you could tech better using the ISTE Standards for Educators. But did you … Read More

Be Prepared

Alex T. ValencicBlog, Classroom Management, Lesson Planning

 TL;DR: It isn’t enough to just have more substitutes; we need better substitutes. Substitutes, teachers, and administrators can all work to be better prepared. The Case for Better Subs Substitute teacher. Guest teacher. Sub. Whatever you call them or know them as, they are a crucial part of the education system. This year especially, as the world continues to grapple … Read More

Using Differentiated Instruction to Teach a Novel

Kristen KoppersBlog, Differentiation, Lesson Planning

TL;DR: Introduce the author first, and let students know why they are reading this particular novel and what the background of the story is. Teach essential questions, themes, motifs, and symbolism ahead of time, especially with difficult texts. Include visual art with their reading. Allow students to differentiate their pace. Using differentiated instruction in the classroom does not have to be … Read More