Y'all, I've said it before: I hate teaching vocabulary. I do. It's the worst and I'm the worst at it. (The worst as in, I just don't because I'm so bad). In the past, vocabulary has felt like a chore to me. It's boring, it takes up time I need for other things. It's just...ugh. … Continue reading An Easy Approach to Vocabulary
Instruction
Favorite Finds: Instructional Strategies
I haven't been writing much this school year, but I have been reading a lot! When I (re)started this blog in the summer of 2017, I started a Friday feature, but I couldn't keep up with it. I'm going to attempt to get that going again: Friday Favorite Finds. In these (semi weekly) posts, I … Continue reading Favorite Finds: Instructional Strategies
Best of Writing Instruction from Loudenclear Blog
Okay, so it's day five of my seven-day writing challenge, and let's just face it, I'm pooped. Haha! So, to make today easier on myself, I'm going to share my top four writing posts (and one from Cult of Pedagogy that I wrote!). Top Writing Instruction Posts on Louden Clear in Education Writing Conferences: How … Continue reading Best of Writing Instruction from Loudenclear Blog
5 Excellent Resources for Teaching Poetry in Secondary English
I have slacked on teaching poetry this year. Big time. As in, we've barely even glanced at poetry. I knew that had to change during these last few weeks of school, so I started doing some research. Thanks to Pinterest, Instagram, and the many blogs that I follow, I have found a plethora of awesome … Continue reading 5 Excellent Resources for Teaching Poetry in Secondary English
The Perks of Procrastinating
I am constantly telling my students not to procrastinate. Plan ahead, I tell them. Do your work early, I preach. But truth is, when I procrastinate, I tend to do my best work. Anyone else? For example, I tried to plan for the last eight weeks of school before Spring Break, but I just couldn't … Continue reading The Perks of Procrastinating
Teaching Writing with HyperDocs
Early this school year I came across a post about using hyperdocs on Cult of Pedagogy. After reading Jenn's post, I immediately started doing more research. In addition to this post about playlists (similar idea), I also found a Facebook Group and a Padlet full of hyperdocs! Jackpot! I thought, why can't I use a hyperdoc to teach writing? In recent years I … Continue reading Teaching Writing with HyperDocs
Students Use Design Thinking to Propose Solutions to an Authentic Audience
Four years ago, I started teaching Public Speaking at our high school. It was a brand new course, which meant I had the freedom to design it as I thought best. Score! My main goal for the class, especially since it's an elective, was to make it as relevant as possible. I also wanted to … Continue reading Students Use Design Thinking to Propose Solutions to an Authentic Audience
Four Ways Teachers Can Use Screencastify in the Classroom
Have you used Screencastify in your classroom? If you haven't, you're missing out. I know we don't all love to hear our voices in a video, but I promise you, it is totally worth it! What is Screencastify? Screencastify is a screen recording extension for Chrome. It allows you to make short recordings of your … Continue reading Four Ways Teachers Can Use Screencastify in the Classroom
How Do I? Kids Teaching Each Other: A Guest Post by Chris Miller
One of the tough things about being a “teacher” these days is giving up the “sage on the stage” role. It’s so easy to be the expert when students are struggling. Our first instinct is to just tell students the “answer” or how to do something or how to fix something. We do it because … Continue reading How Do I? Kids Teaching Each Other: A Guest Post by Chris Miller