First Days of Math Class / Meaningful Math
by Michelle Russell · Published 09/04/2018 · Last modified 12/05/2019
When students entered Michelle Russell’s classes for the first time during an extra-busy start of school, she saw it was time to focus on priorities: engagement, community building, classroom management, and sparking some excitement about math. Here’s what she did.
Megan Kelly always intends to integrate poetry across her units, but somehow ends up scrambling each year as National Poetry Month approaches. This fall she has a list of activities to hold herself accountable. Try some of her ideas in your own ELA, history, science or math classes.
Teacher Emily Francis shares her immigrant journey from a childhood in Guatemala to a North Carolina classroom in an effort to help fellow teachers gain insights about their own Newcomer students “who need, from day one, sociocultural support that reaches their heart.”
Heart of the School / School Climate
by Rita Platt · Published 08/27/2018 · Last modified 12/02/2019
A strong positive school climate is essential for learning and assuring a happy workplace. One way to interrupt that healthy climate is rude behavior, which tends to ripple out and have lasting negative impacts. Principal Rita Platt shares strategies to repel rudeness.
Healthy Teaching / It's Not Easy Being Tween
by Cheryl Mizerny · Published 08/26/2018 · Last modified 11/24/2019
In a post that’s jam-packed with teaching ideas, veteran middle grades educator Cheryl Mizerny declares her intention to keep her classes “on the move” more often this fall, using a variety of strategies for individual, group, whole class and whole room activities.
As summer flirts with Labor Day, Laurie Lichtenstein recalls the joys of being her “Summer Me” – a time for long walks and paddling trips, reading books and ignoring lists. As school dreams begin again, she relishes her last August days and plans for another great year.
The power of Genius Hour comes from sparking wonder, encouraging deep learning, and facilitating sharing so students can make public their new knowledge, creation, or innovation, locally and world wide. GH champions Denise Krebs and Gallit Zvi describe good ways to share.
Most students are excited to get back to school, but anticipate lots of rules and mundane tasks to begin the year. Why not hit the ground running? Teacher educator Curtis Chandler has ideas to create a good first impression with plenty of fun, challenge, and learning.
A new school year brings excitement and organizational challenges. Expert Frank Buck suggests ways to streamline online communications, simplify classroom policies through teacher collaboration, and help kids develop as responsible members of a purposeful community.
In Super Spellers, Mark Weakland offers a “transformative path” to move away from memorizing 20 words weekly toward a developmental approach that provides students with strategies to become more proficient spellers, readers and writers, says Kathleen Palmieri.
