Grammar practice is one of those things most teachers just don't have time for.  Our intentions are pure, but our schedule is packed.  Teaching and practicing grammar standards always seem to take a backseat to other subjects.  However, our students are in desperate need of grammar instruction and practice.  With social media and texting, kids are picking up bad habits every day.  If you want to incorporate more grammar practice into your daily classroom schedule, this is for you. Here are a few simple tips for getting in some grammar practice every day. 1. Morning Work or Warm-Ups Grammar practice in the morning (or as a warm-up) can be as simple as writing a sentence on the board and asking your students to diagram the sentence.  You could also use a sentence or question that is more specific to a skill you are focusing on. For example, you may write, "The football player played with his friends and drinks lots of water."  You could then......

Think back to when you first thought about becoming a teacher...Besides making a difference, most likely, one of your goals was to help students learn. And when I say learn, I'm not talking about the kind of learning that sticks around just for the test and then is gone the next week. As teachers, we want students to truly understand, to master, and to internalize the concepts we teach them and one of the best ways to do that is to spiral concepts throughout the year.  What is Spiraling? If you are new to this idea, to spiral concepts, teachers introduce a concept, and then reinforce the concept by revisiting it, either that same year or across grade levels.  If you spiral in the same year, most likely you are simply practicing the same concept on a regular basis, so kids master it...And if you spiral across grade levels, the topic is not only reviewed but increases in complexity, as students become older. What are the Benefits of Spiraling?   Spiraling......