A quick lesson idea we wanted to share with you all was on a way we like to gamify our reading responses. We think it is a fun and interactive way for students to analyze the book that they are reading. We hope that by giving students several options to show their understanding of the book that they are reading (independently, in book clubs, or a whole class novel) that they will shine like the diamonds they are.

I just finished reading Teaching for Deeper Learning by Jay McTighe and Harvey F. Silver. It is a teaching book on how to teach so that students thrive and learn at a deep level. Let me tell you, the title lives up to the name. Here are some of my takeaways:

Let’s talk about compare and contrast note taking skills in this blog post. First and foremost, we as teachers know that comparing is a foundational thinking skill for students and is the foundation to learning more complex thinking such as problem solving, argumentation, and decision making. Basically, teaching students HOW to compare and contrast leads to huge gains in achievement.

We have tried out quite a few different types of pens in our teaching careers. Some are much better than others. Below is a list of our all time favorite pen brands that we love to use in our plan books and for writing in general.

One thing that we do to beautify our planners is add an assortment of stickers. It helps us to prepare for the year ahead, and it provides something pretty to look at on those days that teaching is particularly stressful or demanding. When it comes to planner stickers, not all are created equal. In the two plus decades we have been teaching, we have narrowed down our absolute favorite sticker brands and sales for our plan books.