Assessments, Education, High School, Middle School, Professional Development, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, state assessment, student needs, Teacher, Teaching, Teaching tools, Texas, Uncategorized

Gettin’ My Learn On- Part One of a Week of Professional Development

Who goes to these things?There are two types of teachers: 1) Actively avoids any type of PD and 2) Seeks out opportunities to learn. I feel like the first teacher hasn't been to many good sessions, and I feel their pain. Bad PD is like the fourth circle of Hell. Who wants to sign up… Continue reading Gettin’ My Learn On- Part One of a Week of Professional Development

Classroom, Education, Grammar, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, student needs, Teacher, Teaching, Teaching tools, Texas, Uncategorized

ELA Student Handbook for Middle School

The Struggle is Real Do you ever begin a lesson and realize your kids have no idea what you're talking about? Even though they should have background knowledge from previous school years? Yeah, me too. The biggest problem we have had at my middle school lately is the serious lack of grammar knowledge. I mean,… Continue reading ELA Student Handbook for Middle School

Classroom, Education, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, student needs, Teacher, Teaching, Teaching tools, Texas, Uncategorized

Anchoring Your Instruction: Using Anchor Charts in Secondary English

Do you ever go on Pinterest (of course you do) and see some of the incredibly adorable anchor charts for the elementary classroom? They are so colorful, and they have little drawings of people and fish, and they rhyme and stuff. Can you imagine hanging something like that up for your middle or high schoolers… Continue reading Anchoring Your Instruction: Using Anchor Charts in Secondary English

Classroom, Education, High School, Humor, Middle School, Sarcasm, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher, Teaching, Texas, Uncategorized

Censoring in the Middle- These Kids Laugh at the Craziest Stuff

The other day, I gave one of my fellow teachers my Magnetic Poetry Kit because I've never found a place for it, and she has some on the side of her metal desk. I figured she'd get more use out of it, you know? Well, we teach middle school kids, so of course I warned… Continue reading Censoring in the Middle- These Kids Laugh at the Craziest Stuff

Classroom, Education, High School, Hygge, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, student needs, Teacher, Teaching, Texas, Uncategorized

Hygge Classroom Challenge- Make Your Classroom Warm and Inviting the Danish Way!

In case you've never heard of hygge (pronounced hue-gah), according to Google dictionary it is the quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture). My understanding is that, during the long, dark, Danish winters, they practice hygge as a way to… Continue reading Hygge Classroom Challenge- Make Your Classroom Warm and Inviting the Danish Way!