Teacher Favorites

How can you use technology to do stations in secondary education? Easy! This simple Station-Rotation model, which is very much like what is commonly use in elementary schools, is a great way to incorporate at least one digital station while getting your students moving and practicing different skills.

The Blended Classroom: A SIMPLE Station-Rotation Model

We’re mixing pen and paper with digital in our blended classrooms, and everything’s going great. At first (for me) it was just about throwing in some digital resources. The kids love it. It’s easy for me. But now that I’m getting a little more comfortable with it, I’m starting to experiment with different ways to

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Lectures are a traditional stand-by teaching method, especially in social studies. However, there are lots of ways to make class more interactive and engaging for students. I share five instructional methods I've started using in my classroom that make my teaching more interactive and that provide an alternative to lecturing.

5 Easy Alternatives to Lecture

I don’t know about you, but the new school year is in full swing, and things are crazy around here (stacks of papers to grade, keeping my son on track with his new homework load, planning for a new course, and cooking dinner, oh, my). But something has been at the forefront of my mind

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Latest from the Blog

Our Summer Hometown Tourist adventures are sailing right along, except with a few mishaps here and there. This week, we were supposed to go to a Civil War tour, but...I got lost. Read all about my misadventures and our long exploration of Bolton Road - and get a few good laughs - in this blog post!

Summer Hometown Tourists: Adventures on Bolton Road

Ah, Robert Burns, I know what you meant by “The best laid schemes!” On Saturday, my son and I were supposed to venture 15 minutes north of Atlanta, to the Marietta Square, to take a civil war walking tour. It turned into a tour of Bolton Road instead. Now, before I begin with the account

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Memorial Day is a time of reflection on the military personnel who have lost their lives in service to our country. War is a terrible thing that causes a great deal of destruction and grief, but veterans are regular people who deserve to be honored for their commitment to serving our country so that we all have the freedoms we enjoy. Read my brief stories that I learned in interviewing WWII and Vietnam veterans and how my school connects our students with veterans so they can learn more.

Memorial Day–A Time to Reflect

My great-great-great grandfather fought in the Civil War, for a cause that I’m not particularly proud of. My great-great Uncle Fred fought in WWI. That one was a game changer, and apparently, he was never the same after. One of my grandfathers fought in WWII, and the other, “4 F on account of his ear”

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On this, the very last week of school before summer vacation, there's one thing you need to keep in mind: Just know you're not alone. Every teacher deals with squirrely students who are done with school and ready for summer. I'm giving three tips for how I remind myself I'm not alone, so click through to read them inside.

Spring Survival Tip #1: Just Know You’re Not Alone

This is officially the last Monday of the 2014-2015 school year for me. Four more days, a week of post planning, and then summer break–glorious summer break. But what do you do with that last week? The students have checked out, and the administration has sent a “friendly reminder” warning us away from movies. Sure,

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Are you ready for my second-to-last spring survival tip for teachers? Here it is: Don't teach; facilitate. Students are done at this point in the year, being so close to summertime. Don't fight the battle of trying to teach new content, even if it's a short 10-minute lecture. Instead, facilitate interactive activities that engage students. Read more in this post.

Spring Survival Tip #2: Don’t Teach–Facilitate

I’m (thankfully) almost through counting down to summer break with my Spring Survival Tips. If you’re just finding this, be sure to go back and check out my other Spring Survival tips–9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3. These last two weeks drag on forever and ever. And ever. And today, I did something

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Looking for another spring survival tip? I've got #3 here for you! This tip is all about three methods for calming the chaos at the end of the year: humor, music, and keeping students busy with meaningful work. Read all of the details inside this blog post!

Spring Survival Tip #3: Calming the Chaos

  I’ve linked up with some great secondary teachers to discuss how we “calm the chaos” here at the end of the school year. Thanks to 2 Peas and a Dog for hosting! The end of any school year (whether it’s elementary, middle, or high school) can be characterized by one word–CHAOS. The weather is

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I'm coming at you with spring survival tip #4, which is all about keeping grades front and center. If you work with secondary students, like I do, then this is especially important, because students don't want to have to take courses again. So, I'm sharing my best AND easiest tips on grading at the end of the year and for making students away of their grades in your class. Click through to read!

Spring Survival Tip #4: Make Grades the Star

Three more Mondays and nineteen more days to go until eight weeks of summer bliss. My students are counting down, I’m counting down, and I’m sure you’re counting down. I started my Spring Survival tips series with nine weeks to go. You can catch up on them here–#9, #8, #7, #6, and #5.Today was particularly

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Have you heard of a gallery walk? That's my fifth spring survival tip! Have your students help you post information around the classroom, and then have your students rotate from one poster, chart paper, or trifold to the next. It gets them moving and keeps them engaged, so click through to learn more about it.

Spring Survival Tip #5: Have a Gallery Walk

  These last few weeks of school are brutal–for us and the students. They don’t want to be there, and we don’t want to fight for their attention. If you’ve been following my blog for the past few weeks, you know I’ve been counting down to summer break with spring survival tips. If you haven’t,

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