Category: Teaching Tips

Laura Candler shares 6 reasons why fall is the best time to introduce poetry! If you start teaching poetry now, you'll reap the benefits all year long!

Laura Candler shares 6 reasons why fall is the best time to introduce poetry! If you start teaching poetry now, you’ll reap the benefits all

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Field trips can be so much fun for students, and they definitely provide unique opportunities for kids to discover new places and to experience real

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Five Looks on a Book is a simple and fun activity that offers a fun twist on the traditional book report. Students name five adjectives that describe their book and then write one supporting detail for each adjective. Freebie in the post!

Looking for a fun twist on book reports? Check out the “Five Looks on a Book” strategy described in this post, and download this free

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DonorsChoose - A Jackpot of Classroom Funding!

Free Webinar for Teachers! Click here for the replay! Do you know about DonorsChoose.org? It’s an amazing organization that helps public school teachers in the

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Boost the effectiveness of your active engagement lessons with the FREE countdown timers described in this post!

Boost the effectiveness of your active engagement lessons with the FREE countdown timers described in this post!

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The Question Connection is a way for educators to connect with each other to ask and answer questions about teaching strategies and classroom management.

Got Teacher Questions? Read this post to find out how the Question Connection works, and then submit your question HERE. When I first started teaching I

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20 Terrific Quiet Signals That Work

When you teach hands-on lessons, it’s important to have an effective quiet signal! This blog post includes 20 quiet signals and attention signals that work!

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Daily Report Homework Solution

Do you have a few students who can’t seem to complete assignments and turn them in on time? Yet when you talk to their parents, you

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5 Tips for New Teachers

My first year of teaching was extremely challenging, but I learned from my mistakes and persevered. I’ve now been teaching for over 30 years, and

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12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

I think I must have been born with a book in my hand! My parents told me that from the moment I learned to read,

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Out with Answer Keys – In with QR Codes!

You know what QR codes are … those black and white patterned squares you scan with your smartphone to be taken to a webpage with

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Cooperative Learning Structures

Structures are very specific strategies that can be used to organize interactions between students who are working in cooperative learning teams. Most structures can be

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Category: Teaching Tips

Field Trips – Follow Up on the Fun!

Field trips can be so much fun for students, and they definitely provide unique opportunities for kids to discover new places and to experience real world learning. But have you ever felt that your students had so much fun that they missed out on the learning? It’s discouraging to discuss

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Five Looks on a Book is a simple and fun activity that offers a fun twist on the traditional book report. Students name five adjectives that describe their book and then write one supporting detail for each adjective. Freebie in the post!

Fun Twist on Book Reports!

Looking for a fun twist on book reports? Check out the “Five Looks on a Book” strategy described in this post, and download this free graphic organizer to use with the lesson!

Read More »
DonorsChoose - A Jackpot of Classroom Funding!

DonorsChoose: A Jackpot of Classroom Funding!

Free Webinar for Teachers! Click here for the replay! Do you know about DonorsChoose.org? It’s an amazing organization that helps public school teachers in the U.S. get funding for their classroom projects. I received thousands of dollars from donors when I was teaching, and now I love telling others about

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The Question Connection is a way for educators to connect with each other to ask and answer questions about teaching strategies and classroom management.

The Question Connection: Advice from Real Teachers

Got Teacher Questions? Read this post to find out how the Question Connection works, and then submit your question HERE. When I first started teaching I was full of questions, and I continued to have questions when I tried new strategies or ran into difficulties. It used to be that we

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Daily Report Homework Solution

Daily Report Homework Solution

Do you have a few students who can’t seem to complete assignments and turn them in on time? Yet when you talk to their parents, you hear the story, “But he said he finished all his homework!” Sadly, these students may feel they are telling the truth because they forgot they even HAD homework.

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5 Tips for New Teachers

5 Tips for New Teachers

My first year of teaching was extremely challenging, but I learned from my mistakes and persevered. I’ve now been teaching for over 30 years, and I love this profession! That’s why I want to share a few tips that might help new teachers avoid some of the problems I experienced.

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12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

12 Ways to Motivate Reluctant Readers

I think I must have been born with a book in my hand! My parents told me that from the moment I learned to read, I would read everything in sight, from cereal boxes to billboards. When I began reading books, there was no stopping me! I even begged them

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Out with Answer Keys – In with QR Codes!

Out with Answer Keys – In with QR Codes!

You know what QR codes are … those black and white patterned squares you scan with your smartphone to be taken to a webpage with more information about, well, anything! They’ve been popping up everywhere, from restaurant menus to PTA flyers. QR stands for “Quick Response” because scanning the code

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Cooperative Learning Structures

What are Cooperative Learning Structures?

Structures are very specific strategies that can be used to organize interactions between students who are working in cooperative learning teams. Most structures can be used with almost any academic content, but some structures are better than others for certain tasks. For example, some structures regulate interaction between pairs, some

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