Vocabulary development is an important component of any balanced literacy program. And direct instruction of new vocabulary is a key part of of this development and is linked to academic achievement. (Just ask Robert Marzano .) This post is not about direct vocabulary instruction. Rather, it's about getting students to interact more with the new vocabulary they read in a text. My favorite way to do this using an informational text is with an activity I call "Words for Life."  It forces students to give focus to the vocabulary they encounter as they read, and to analyze not just the meaning of those words, but their importance to the text as a whole and to students' own lives. Here's how it works: Part A: Words to Remember All Day Anyone who knows me knows I like a good list. (Learn even more about how I use lists in reading HERE .) And a list is the foundation for the Words for Life activity. As students read their informational text, have them keep a ...
Having a growth mindset means you believe that you can get smarter through hard work and practice. Growth mindset isn't just important for your students that struggle; it's also important for your students that exceed. For the students that exceed, growth mindset teaches them that their intellectual ability can always be further developed. Growth mindset is a great way of reaching your unmotivated students. It allows for you to teach them that they can, and will, do better in school if they put forth the effort. Fixed vs. Growth Mindset “I’m bad at math.” vs. “I need more practice and help to succeed.” “I can’t do it.” vs. “I can’t do it yet, but I’m working on it.” “Derek always gets a 100%. Must be nice.” vs. “I wonder what I could learn from Derek.” “My work is fine the way it is.” vs. “I want feedback, so I can make my work better.” “My friends should all agree with me.” vs. “It takes effort and working through differences to stay friends.” “I’m the best...
Part of our jobs as teacher is to sit down with parents once or twice a year to discuss their children's progress and to set goals for future success. I always thought it was funny how parents and teachers get together to have these conversations, and to make decisions about a student's learning. For me, the missing link was always the student. As a teacher who has spent (almost) her entire career working with upper grade students, I started to realize that these students really needed to be involved in their own conferences. Why not let students lead the conversation about their progress and goals?? The Benefits of Student-Led Conferences The first year after implementing student-led conferences with my class, the benefits were immediately obvious to me, my students, and their parents.... First, students take ownership and responsibility for their behavior, work habits, and grades. Instead of the teacher "defending" grades or marks for behavior, students mus...
Who can compete with Minecraft, Rocket League, Roblox and Madden? We have a one-word answer for you-teachers! Technology has taken over the lives of our students. Most, if not all, upper elementary students now have cell phones. Most have some type of gaming system at home, and probably a vast majority of them have some type of tablet at home as well (iPad, Kindle…). In an age where attention spans are judged on being fixated at an electronic screen, teachers are scrambling to find ways to engage their students in any way possible. Ten years ago, the iPhone was released to the general public. Three years later came along the iPad. Since then society has been bombarded with electronic devices. Educators are beginning to see the impacts that these devices are having on child development. Ask any teachers and s/he will say that students’ attention spans aren’t what they used to be, they lack social skills when interacting with peers and adults, and are reliant on instant ...
Just the term RtI (Response to Intervention) can sound overwhelming.  When first starting out, it doesn't have to be a go big, or go home approach.  Start small.  Take baby steps and see what works and doesn't work for you.  You can begin implementing RtI for math right inside the confines of your classroom.  My district has a very successful RtI model for reading that we follow, but as for math, we are responsible for providing our own assessments, interventions, and tracking within our own classrooms.  So, how should you get started?   1.  Gather Data Where are you in the school year?  If you are at the beginning of the school year, administer a diagnostic test to see what students know and do not know from the previous year.  This will give you an idea of what skills students need to work on to be successful in the current school year curriculum. You can also use your benchmark assessments to identify trouble spots.  By using the benchmark assessments you can ...
        Task cards are one of my favorite things in the classroom! I love how they provide concentrated practice for my students, how they can be used for any subject, but most of all, I like how engaging they can be. Students often view them as simply fun, although they are definitely an effective learning tool.         Another great thing about task cards is how versatile they are. They can be used in so many ways! In fact,  I wrote another blog post with  16 Ways to Use Task Cards , if you'd like a few more ideas!   Using task cards with board games is one activity that makes task cards even more fun!         So, how exactly do you add task cards to a board game?  1. Gather Some Board Games         If you're a mom or a dad, you may have lots of board games at home that your children have outgrown, or that you can borrow. You may also find them at garage sales or of course you can purchase them at a number of stores. One of the easiest and cheapest ways t...