why does curriculum need to change

Why Does Curriculum Need to Change?

Why does curriculum need to change?  The short answer is because our world is constantly changing.  Our students need to be able to change with it.  What better example than for them to see change in action while they are learning?  As a general rule, the reason curriculum needs to ...
key components of a lesson plan

What are Key Components of a Lesson Plan

Most of us don’t really think too much about what the specific key components of a lesson plan are in our daily planning.  But for newer teachers, it can be a daunting process.  And for those of us that have done this countless times before, it is always good to ...
effective lesson planning

How to Accomplish More Effective Lesson Planning

Every year, I get so excited about lesson planning and what I am going to do differently and better this time around.  I contemplate how this new year will be full of more effective lesson planning than the year before. And every year, by the time I am a month ...
impact of technology on literature

The Impact of Technology on Literature

After spending some time researching technology in the classroom and writing a couple of other posts on the subject, I started thinking specifically about the impact of technology on literature.Certainly, technology has affected just about every aspect of our lives.  That especially rings true in educational circles.But we can think ...
improve reading skills

12 Ways to Improve Reading Skills

I  always try to look for ways to improve reading skills for my students.  What I found early on was that most of those ways needed to involve less work.   Most of the students are already feeling daunted by the thought of learning to read or improving their reading skills.  ...
Take advantage of tech in the classroom

How to Take Advantage of Tech in the Classroom II

In this second article addressing how to take advantage of tech in the classroom, I would like to focus on what I have learned about technology that assists teachers in working in the classroom more efficiently.The first article addressed eight specific items that teachers could use with students.  All of ...

How to Take Advantage of Tech in the Classroom

Because I am historically a homeschool mom, our classroom usually had tons of technology in it, because it had whatever tech we were using at home.  It definitely had its advantages.  But it also came with some drawbacks.  We learned very quickly how to take advantage of tech in the ...
Great ways to save money on classroom crafts.

5 Great Ways to Save Money on Classroom Crafts

3D graphics image by Quince CreativeI am always trying to think of great ways to save money on classroom crafts.  Most kids–especially in the middle school range–love crafts. But quality crafting  gets very expensive.  This becomes especially true if you are shopping at the local craft store for each craft ...
How reading books is different from watching movies.

How Reading Books is Different from Watching Movies

My kids and I have been spending some significant time watching movies and reading the books that go with them this summer. So I started thinking about what the differences in value between the two are.  Then I wondered how reading books is different from watching movies.Some people prefer to ...
the styles of learning

Seven Styles of Learning & How They Apply to Your Students

What are the seven styles of learning?  How do they apply to your students, regardless of the style of school you are teaching in?  I would like to talk about what those styles are, how you work with them as a teacher, capitalizing on your own style strengths, and how ...
18 Reasons Why Students Need Literature

14 Reasons Why Students Need Literature

Some people love to read.  Others don’t.  Sometimes having students that don’t love to read can seem like torture, both to the teacher and to the student who doesn’t love to read.  But at the end of the day, there are many reasons why students need literature.  And as teachers, we ...
Helpful Examples of Differentiated Instruction

Helpful Examples of Differentiated Instruction

Table of ContentsPrintable Infographic Included!Where it all BeganModern Day Classrooms See a NeedSix Examples of Differentiated InstructionInterview StudentsLearning StationsSurvey of Student GoalsAllow Students to Choose Their Own ProjectAn Outdoor ClassroomConnect the DotsConclusionRelated posts: Table of Contents Printable Infographic Included!Where it all BeganModern Day Classrooms See a NeedSix Examples of Differentiated ...