Easier said then done, right? One of the best things that a teacher can do for a student is to help him/her on the path of becoming a life long reader. Here are some tips and tricks that we have incorporated into our classrooms:
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Let’s Talk Classroom Libraries. We have all seen the beautiful Instagram or Pinterest worthy looking classroom libraries. You know the ones - they are color coded perfection. You may have even drooled over the pretty plastic book bins that each book is housed in. Those libraries look amazing! But, in our experience, those libraries just do not work for our students. Our libraries are lived in, the shelves are close to bursting with books, and we have a lot of books. I mean a lot-a lot!
Read on for a list of our lowdown dirty truths about classroom libraries.
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Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in October!
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It is important for teachers to understand learning and the brain. So here are the six phases of learning information and how they pertain to the brain and converting information into learning.
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Working collaboratively and socially is a life skill that all students should be working on in school to prepare them for the demands of the future work forces… whatever that looks like. According to NACE, teamwork is one of the top traits that employers are looking for when hiring someone.
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A highly qualified, well versed teacher with high expectations for students has the biggest impact on student learning and progress. When students are in classes with teachers who have high expectations and know that all students can succeed, those students perform leaps and bounds above students who have teachers that, for whatever reason, just don’t have those same high expectations.
Here are some highly effective teaching practices that show high expectations of students:
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Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in September!
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Robert Marzano is an educational researcher, and he focuses on effective teaching strategies. He says that the keys to school wide achievement are effective and research based teaching strategies, effective and timely feedback, and improving academic vocabulary.
Here are Marzano’s top 9 most effective teaching strategies:
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Here are some reading conferencing questions that you can ask your students to check in on their independent reading progress:
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Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in August!
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Teachers are asked to do everything. And by everything, I mean EVERYTHING. We are asked to create not only meaningful and rewarding learning experiences for all students, but make them all fun and engaging as well. We are asked to prepare students for career readiness, to be more compassionate and understanding than the average human being, to be perfect and never fail, to prepare students to pass standardized tests, and to develop ourselves professionally - doing all these things while still doing the work of living as a person outside of work. Where’s the balance for teachers?
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One of the most important ways teachers can assess whether their student knows the content they have been teaching, understands the directions they have laid out, or can help to clarify confusion is by asking questions. Asking questions is arguably one of the most used teacher strategies, because, let's face it: questioning is really at the heart of learning. However, not all questions are created equal. There are rules to the questions we ask.
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