You’re sitting in the library during your lunchbreak while your admin delivers a decision they’ve made. Why does this always seem to happen? Teachers, we know those conversations with parents or our administration can sometimes be difficult? Especially when a decision has to be made. Or maybe the decision has already been made. Maybe they’re implementing a new staff or campus rule. Maybe it’s a decision about mandatory unpaid volunteer roles like school dances or carline duty. Sometimes we aren’t sure if our ideas are welcome or when to share them. In his book DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: How to ..read more

Jerry Uelsman . . . photographer, art professor, and person I think you should let change your belief about quality and student engagement. He ran an experiment with his art students at the University of Florida. Half of the class he said he was going to grade on quality. Their grade would be based on their one best photo from the semester. The other half of the class he said he was going to grade on quantity. Their grade would be based on the sheer total number of photos they took during the semester. Seems easy, right? And what an easy grade . . . one photo, and make it good!? What an ..read more

Becoming a better listener is a long journey. I’ve made lots of mistakes along the way.  I’m currently studying the book DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: How to Discuss What Matters Most. Cannot recommend more highly. One of the biggest reasons I fail at listening is I’m not curious enough to really understand their situation. It makes me think about how this would truly help we teachers connect with learners.   When difficult students make classroom management difficult with their behavior . . . When class clowns ignore your classroom rules in your most difficult class . . . When parent t ..read more

Secondary English teachers are always looking for ways to save time. When was the last time you used a pre-made complete novel study? 1. Reduce Your Lesson Planning Time: Complete novel studies are ready-to-go, saving you teachers the time it takes to plan and create curriculum materials from scratch. 2. Start w/ Comprehensive Resources: Starting out with complete resources saves your energy, including engaging curriculum mapping, pedagogy, worksheets, activities, slideshows, assessments, and discussion questions, saving you the need to search for all the activities. 3. Align to Standards: No ..read more

Re-Reading Classroom Novels To prepare for Back-to-School, I’ve made a goal to re-read the novels I’ve taught so many times, so I can get my own fresh eyes on the story. I’ve taught them so many times, but if you’re like me, reading it while teaching isn’t the same as reading it to absorb it and let it affect me. I really want to re-see the aspects that can re-affect me today, in today’s culture, through my mind today. FAHRENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury The first time I read this novel was my 9th grade year in high school. My teacher supplied an approved reading list, and we all had to choose ..read more

When your learners go watch the WONDER movie this week, you might be looking for a way to combine pleasure and depth. This film vs novel comparison is a simple way to do group analysis and class discussions. My learners always surprise me by the depth of their ideas. #ChooseKind #WonderMovie >>> Get your novel vs movie comparison analysis now >>> Thanks for being a vital part of our community. Keep on being awesome! The post Help your learners analyze the WONDER movie appeared first on Created for Learning ..read more

Today, we’re gonna talk about travel with kids and how to pack so your backs aren’t dying and you have more fun. Watch the YouTube video here >>> https://youtu.be/-yZG7ufZBuE        Years ago, when we took our first overseas trip, we had suitcases. Then by our second trip, we’d decided we didn’t want to do suitcases again. So we borrowed rucksacks, or travel backpacks, from some friends. And we loved them so much we bought our own for our next trip. Sure, there are a couple of downsides, like a sweaty back and shoulders and the constant bod ..read more

So you’ve got a .pdf resource like our Phrases and Clauses activity for THE GIVER novel, and you want to distribute it in Google Classroom. You likely want your learners type or draw on top of it. You’ll want them to submit it back to you with all their work on it. The question is: How do we do that? In this tech landscape, you’ve got a number of options. 1. You can screenshot each of the pdf pages as jpg files and make them backgrounds in Google Slides or PowerPoints. Then your learners can type or draw on top of them. This is a lot of leg work on your end … like we did for you in our ..read more

Today, we’re gonna talk about international travel with kids and how to stay connected with people back home. Watch the YouTube video here >>> https://youtu.be/8NY3emaZNvA       If you’re the kind of family who wants to go on vacation overseas to completely disconnect from people while you’re gone, then this conversation might not be for you. Just share it with a friend. But if you’ve got grandparents back home who would love to talk with the kiddos about the fun they’re having while it’s fresh on their minds, then let’s talk about how we tried. The Inte ..read more

When your learners go watch the WONDER movie this week, you might be looking for a way to combine pleasure and depth. This film vs novel comparison is a simple way to do group analysis and class discussions. My learners always surprise me by the depth of their ideas. #ChooseKind #WonderMovie >>> Get your novel vs movie comparison analysis now >>> Thanks for being a vital part of our community. Keep on being awesome! The post Help your learners analyze the WONDER movie appeared first on Created for Learning ..read more