The last weeks of school are a unique kind of chaos. Your students have completely checked out, state testing is behind you, and there is no way you are starting a new novel with three weeks left. As a middle school teacher, I find that …
After years in the middle school classroom, I have a good sense of what rewards actually motivate students. While there is plenty of debate about whether candy should be allowed in classrooms, there is no doubt that certain candy brands are more popular with middle …
Novel study units are a HUGE part of my ELA classroom. I use them for whole class instruction, small groups, and independent reading, and after 25 years of teaching middle school, I can tell you they cover more standards than most teachers realize. When I …
Teacher Appreciation Week rolls around every May, and the question is always the same: What do you actually get a teacher? I have been on the receiving end of 25 years of handmade cards, sticky-note poems, and the occasional gas-station gift card. I love every …
Character analysis is one of the most engaging aspects of teaching R.J. Palacio’s Wonder, and this is one of the rare books that offers an obvious playbook for teachers. Six narrators. Six perspectives on the same events. Six opportunities for your students to step outside …
State testing is done. Your students are checked out. You’re exhausted. And somehow you still have six weeks of school left. The struggle is real: You need activities that keep students engaged without requiring hours of lesson planning. You need ideas that work on modified …
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