After a long winter of being cooped up indoors, it’s time to get outside and start exploring. Spring is the perfect time to get outside with your students and start experiencing the joy and wonder of outdoor learning. As the winter changes to spring, our world is bursting with new life. So why not use it as a chance to … Read More
10 Ways to Wrap Up Your Lesson
TL;DR: Teachers should gather students for reflection and check understanding in the last few minutes of class to ensure everyone met the objective and address any confusion. Ten favorite ways to wrap up a lesson include exit tickets, 3-2-1 summaries, sentence-phrase-word reflections, stop and jot activities, captioning visuals, AEIOU reflections, rock-paper-scissors reflections, What’s In the Cards reflection protocol, quiz games, … Read More
Leaders, Here’s How To Support Interdisciplinary Unit Planning
TL;DR: Interdisciplinary units deepen students’ learning experiences. Have teachers decide what they want to focus on for an interdisciplinary unit. Hold a planning meeting to talk about the unit and co-plan. Plan on meeting throughout the unit with other teachers to see how it’s going and tweak things. Allow teachers to teach what they’re excited about. Celebrate your successes! Interdisciplinary … Read More
Teaching Through the Circles: Previewing the Standards
TL;DR: A great idea can be transferred to many different applications. Don’t be afraid to put your spin on a great idea. Give credit where credit is due. Teach Better Team I am honored to be part of an incredible community of teachers through the Teach Better team, my own district, and several teaching groups via social media. A little … Read More
Why (and How) I Wrote Curriculum During Summer Break
TL;DR: Summer break can be a great time to create or update lessons. Spending time on curriculum while energized can benefit both you and the students in the new school year. I love the clearly defined break for summer vacation. At the end of each year, I was always ready for well-deserved time off. At the same time, I always … Read More