Back to School after a Vacation Every year it was the same: spend the last few days of Christmas vacation searching my mind, files, teacher books and the internet for the perfect activity that would get my students back in the groove after vacation. Most of what I’d find would
When I’m working with other teachers, one of the most popular things I do is share some of my fave tech tips, and my love for (good) PowerPoint is one thing I like to share. One tip is that you can crop any picture to any shape in PowerPoint with
Group work self-reflection questions for students are a key factor in effective group work and a best practice for teachers using small groups. When students work in collaborative groups, it’s critical to have self-reflection questions for them to consider when the group work is done or you risk wasting terrific,
I loathe PBIS even more than I loathe Accelerated Reader, and friends, that’s a high bar. Why I think PBIS is a terrible idea To be fair, it’s not just PBIS. It’s all of the same type of behavior management systems that use often elaborate systems to punish and reward
Need Some Differentiation Advice? Have you ever wanted some differentiation advice from real, live teachers in real, live classrooms? How can teachers who are comfortable with a differentiated classroom support and encourage teachers who are new to differentiation or struggling with differentiation? I’ve got answers! I recently had the wonderful
Interested in a great new reading strategy for your classroom? I’m excited to share this new twist on an ancient reading strategy with you, and I can’t wait to hear how it goes in your classroom! First, the backstory. Books & Podcasts I love books, and I love podcasts. When
How it all began with Fish for Schools I began teaching 3rd grade. Have you ever taught 3rd grade? It’s fun. The kids are adorable. I mean, they are seriously cute. Like you want to take them all home with you cute. (I’m aware that time may have blurred my
Looking for an easy classroom management strategy that A) makes sense and B) empowers students to make good choices and save face? Have I got a freebie for you! My Depth and Complexity Rules Cards are super easy, super effective, and super cheap. Depth & Complexity Rules Cards You may
Classroom management strategies don’t have to be complicated to work well. I’ve got a simple card system I created to help my classroom run smoothly. I was sharing it at a training in Lewisville, Texas, and some of the teachers there asked that I share the cards. I have three
Explaining differentiation to parents can be tricky. As a society, we value fairness above almost all things, and a differentiated classroom can look unfair from the outside if the definition of fairness is “sameness.” One important step teachers should take in the beginning of the year is to share their
Ever wondered how to keep gifted kids motivated? Ever laid awake nights wondering how to keep gifted kids motivated? Ever torn your hair out wondering how to keep gifted kids motivated? Spoiler: I don’t have the answer. The reason there’s no answer is that the intervention will only work if:
School award ceremonies are a bad idea, but you’d never know it by how many of them there are. Of all the things people warned me about when I became a parent, no one mentioned the interminable end-of-year awards ceremonies. As I’ve learned more and more about the way our
