How Classroom Libraries Improve Student Literacy Skills
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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New YA Books Coming in October
Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in October!
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Honest Beauty Review
If you have been following our blog for a while, then you know we are all about using clean beauty products. While we do love Beauty Counter, we do know that the price of some of their products can be daunting for some of our teacher friends. That’s why we are also in love with Honest Beauty products. Their mission is to create clean, sustainable products that truly work. That is a mission we can get behind.
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Here are six ways you can improve learning and retaining information
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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How to Create a Collaborative Classroom Environment Part 1
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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High Expectations Teaching Practices
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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New YA Books Coming in September
Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in September!
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Marzano’s Effective Teaching Strategies
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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Humidifiers in the Classroom
So, for the last five years or so, I have been using an essential oil diffuser in my classroom, but I’ve decided to step it up a bit and start using a humidifier instead this school year. Humidifiers have some pretty great health benefits, such as:
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Improving reading comprehension: Questions to ask during individual conferences
Here are some reading conferencing questions that you can ask your students to check in on their independent reading progress:
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New YA Books Coming in August
Here are some new books that we are excited about that are coming out in August!
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Favorites from Evolvetogether
I discovered Evolve Together during the pandemic, and their masks have been the best mask that I have used. At first, they just sold the masks, but they have evolved to sell so many other great products. Evolve Together’s motto is “We connect people to what's most essential — taking care of each other and our planet.” And they do a pretty good job of making products that have a limited impact on the environment.
Here is a list of my favorites from this company:
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