So you found a perfect quote to inspire your students and want to display it on your classroom wall? You print it on your color printer, maybe even mount it on colored card stock and laminate it. It looks great from your teacher desk where you sit and admire your handiwork. But there’s a problem. […]
What do your learning objectives say to your students?
What exactly does “student-friendly language” mean? In my district, teachers are required to post learning objectives in student-friendly language. (Did that come from the Charlotte Danielson Framework? Probably. 🤨) In reality, that mainly meant adding the phrase “I can” in front of a standard and writing it on the board. I have to admit that […]
Growth Mindset and the Standards
Standards-Based Best Practices As many school districts across the country did, my administration jumped on the Charlotte Danielson bandwagon. Among other requirements, each class had to begin with a statement of the learning objective, which also had to be posted on the wall. Curriculum supervisors conducted walk-throughs in which they asked students to explain the […]
Get Organized for Standards-Based Learning
The Common Core standards brought a paradigm shift to my middle school ELA team. We had a great set of thematic units developed over the years: engaging, rigorous, and connected to a broad variety of topics. But when we sat down to map them to the standards, we discovered that some standards were “taught” over […]
Classroom Decor Tips for Middle School
Middle school students are such a unique group. One minute they act like a bunch of little kids, and the next day they are so grown up. But next week, who knows? They may be sweet children again, or they may be hormonal teens, or they may be both at the same time. Creating a […]
How to Make Your Own Teacher Toolbox
You have probably seen those super cute teacher toolbox organizers all over Pinterest. I have to admit it took over a year of toolbox envy before I took the plunge and decided to try one for myself. And, guess what? It was so easy that I made three more right away! If you’re intimidated by […]