📚 The 10 Books I'm Most Excited to Read This School Year (and Why You Should Be Too)
✨ This Year’s Must-Reads for Inspired Teaching ✨
Ready to reignite your passion for teaching? I’ve curated a list of 10 game-changing education books I can’t wait to read this school year—covering everything from the science of learning to media literacy, vocabulary instruction, and independent reading. Whether you're an ELA teacher, intervention specialist, or just hungry for smarter strategies, this list has something for you. Dive into mentor texts, unlock student engagement, and rediscover the power of clear, focused teaching. 📚
👉 [Read the full post for my top picks and how I plan to use them in the classroom.]
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Effective Social and Emotional Learning Mini-Lessons for Improved Academic Performance
9 Research-Backed Teaching Strategies That Boost Student Achievement
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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Mastering the Art of Inferring: Engaging Middle School Reading Strategies and Fun Mystery Games
Do your students ever feel like they need a detective's hat and magnifying glass to understand their reading assignments? Well, you're in luck because teaching them the art of inferring can turn every reading session into an exciting mystery to solve! 🕵️♀️🔍
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Will AI Replace Teachers? What Every Educator Needs to Know
Wondering if AI will replace teachers? Discover how AI is transforming education—and why the human role in the classroom is more vital than ever.
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Back to School Night Advice: How to Connect with Parents and Set the Tone for the Year
Get expert tips for Back to School Night! This guide helps teachers create a meaningful presentation for parents, share their teaching philosophy, outline curriculum goals, and build trust by showing they truly care about every student. Perfect for new and veteran teachers alike.
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Engaging Back to School Art Ideas to Help You Connect with Your Students: Part Two
This is an activity that we at TTD used for years in our classroom. The students LOVE it and it adds such beauty and color into an otherwise blank classroom. Below are step by step directions on how you can make one amazing activity that will brighten up your classroom with color, and make your class a place that every student feels welcome and connected.
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Engaging Back to School Art Ideas for Teachers to Build Student Relationships
The first few weeks of school can be a whirlwind of activity. You’re busy setting up procedures, going over class rules and expectations, and getting to know your students. One tried and true activity that we have had a lot of success with is what we call the Name Plate. Below are step by step directions on how you can make one amazing activity that will brighten up your classroom with color, and make your class a place that every student feels welcome and connected.
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✉️ Write It Like It Happened: A Letter to Your Future Self
Help students set powerful goals with a letter-writing activity that blends reflection, motivation, and future-focused thinking — perfect for the first week of school or after winter break.
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"The power of intention: How to set achievable goals for the school year
It is that time of year again! The time we open up our brand new teacher plan book from ban.do and begin to prepare for the up and coming school year. Aside from prepping our planners with all the fun stickers and noting all of the important dates and days off throughout the school year, we also take time for one more very important step.
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