Student engagement. It's a term that's been thrown around a lot in the last decade, but let’s really breakdown what student engagement actually is. And more importantly, how can we move beyond the illusion of engagement to foster deeper thinking and learning?
Read MoreIf you’re curious, I say give Notebook LM a spin with one of your own PDFs. You might be surprised by how smart (and surprisingly human) the “two-voice” podcast summaries are. And who knows—maybe your students will finally listen to their reading… literally.
Read MoreAs educators, we are well aware that language skills play a pivotal role in academic success and lifelong learning. Among the various facets of language development, vocabulary stands out as a critical component that directly impacts students' reading comprehension, writing ability, and overall communication skills. Renowned scholar Isabel Beck's extensive research supports the notion that making vocabulary instruction a daily priority is not only beneficial but essential for students' cognitive growth. In this blog post, we will delve into the academic research and statistics put forth by Isabel Beck, emphasizing the significance of teaching vocabulary on a regular basis.
Read MoreThis post shares two unforgettable, ready-to-use lesson plans that bring Poe’s stories to life in the middle and high school ELA classroom. From a blacklight-powered Tell-Tale Heart experience to an interactive detective deep-dive with The Purloined Letter, these lessons are immersive, standards-aligned, and guaranteed to engage even your most reluctant readers. Perfect for October, short story units, or any time you want to make literature feel electric.
Read MoreYou can never have enough scary books on your shelf especially the closer you get to Halloween. Varying in scare factor, these titles will keep all horror fans busy until spooky season arrives.
Read MoreThis blog post explores the growing threats to public education, including political efforts to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and the rapid rise of AI in classrooms. It warns of a future where teachers are replaced by tech, learning is driven by algorithms, and equity is abandoned. The post urges educators and parents to pay attention, get involved, and fight for a human-centered vision of schooling—before it’s too late.
Read MoreMy favorite time of year is quickly approaching. Bust out the sweaters and tall boots. Get your Halloween decorations all sorted out. Start sipping everything apple cider and pumpkin spiced. And most of all, get your SpOoOoOoOoOky stories prepped and ready! There are some phenomenally engaging scary stories that are just right for the month of October. Not only are they just the right amount of creepy, they are also chock full of literary elements. Read on for our list of favorite Short stories to read during the month of October.
Read MoreThe tween years don’t have to break girls down. In fact, they can be the years that build them up. With love, support, and a little strategy, we can help girls grow into strong, self-assured teens who know they’re more than good enough just as they are.
Let’s meet them where they are—and remind them how powerful they’ve always been.
Read MoreWe L-O-V-E exit tickets because they are a great formative assessment tool that gives us a way to assess how well our students understand the material they are learning in class. The best part is that we can then use this data for adapting instruction to meet our students' needs the very next day. Exit tickets allow teachers to see where the gaps in knowledge are, what they need to fix, what students have mastered, and what can be enriched in the classroom.
Read MoreThis post explores the powerful connection between sentence fluency and reading comprehension, inspired by Mike Schmoker’s article Improving Reading with Sentence Fluency. When students learn to write better sentences, they become stronger, more confident readers. We share practical insights and highlight our Engaging Syntax and Sentence Building Skills for Middle School resource—designed to boost both writing and reading fluency in a meaningful, engaging way.
Read MoreWe all want our students to learn deeply, but what does that look like? Understanding must be earned by the learner through active mental manipulation of higher order thinking skills. In our information saturated world, teachers are no longer dispensers of information, but rather need to become facilitators of helping students to understand information by directing active meaning making.
Read More✨ 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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