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,
I’m linking up with the fantastic teachers at Secondary Smorgasbord for this post! Seven more weeks (and counting) until that glorious time of year called summer break is upon us. Next week is my school system’s Spring Break, so the excitement is palpable. And (minus this morning’s torrential downpour) the weather is seductive. If you’ve
Here in Georgia, we have eight weeks to go until summer break. Eight. Weeks. In other words–an eternity. A text came from our principal this morning after first block, “Watch out for dress code violations!” Tempers and attention spans shorten right along with hem lines, and if you’re anything like me, this is the most
As a history and English teacher, I love integrating the two subjects whenever possible. As an undergraduate, I double-majored in both. I’ve always loved reading and writing. Stories make the world go round. I love grammar and language (hard to believe that anyone can, but I do, and I know I’m not alone). But the
I love using task cards to teach. They’re great for introducing concepts, especially for vocabulary content and grammar practice. Get Vocabulary Task Cards Here! Get Parts of Speech Task Cards Here! Get Verbals Task Cards Here! But my new favorite way to use task cards is for test review. Since one task is printed on each small card, they do
This is how we usually test in my classroom: We break out the dividers, and close ourselves off. Talking is a cardinal sin, and we look down, down, down. That’s how testing should be, right? Well…yes. Most of the time. But last week, we tried something new. Collaborative testing. Notice, the dividers are stacked against
I’ve been teaching sociology for three years, now, and almost immediately, I stumbled upon Introsocsite. It’s a fantastic resource for any sociology teacher. I credit Introsocsite not only for the organization of my course, but also for some fun and highly useful games. Last week, when we were studying a unit on social organization, we
I’m always looking to mix things up–even if it’s just to go outside on a beautiful day for a review game or a lesson. Just like anyone else, students appreciate a change of venue. And, let’s face it, different is memorable. This is when I get to have fun with my elective, sociology. I’m fortunate
You heard me–I’m bringing crafts to high school history class. Pop-ups aren’t just for babies anymore. I’m an equal-opportunity popper. At first, they complain. “We’re not in second grade.” But slowly, they get into it, and what’s more, they remember it. We’re not just cutting to pass the time. There’s a method to my madness–a
Busy Monday. I don’t know about the rest of you, but we are back with a vengeance at my school. A vengeance. I did manage to crawl out from under a pile of paperwork today to have a guest speaker in Sociology. She is a social worker from a local group home. At first, I
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