and living life one day- and book- at a time
A few days ago I made the comment that I had managed to read 3 books in one day. That was a record for me because usually I could read one book in a day, but three had to be a record. A former student of mine, who is about to graduate from college with …
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, reading has been on a decline since 2019. This isn’t too hard to understand considering the fact that 2019 and 2020 were pivotal years in education with the onset of Covid. Education was highly disrupted, and even though things have gone back to normal in the education …
This week I started teaching my anti-bullying unit. It’s one that I developed after going to a professional development, and because it is mine- and a topic that is close to my heart- I love teaching this unit. I wanted to find a way to incorporate our informational text in with a novel study, and …
Students tend to learn best from one another. Having a student reciprocate a lesson to another student can be more effective than having a teacher go over a lesson. Moving them out of nice neat rows and placing them in a circle with the intention of discussion can breathe life into your classroom. Because of …
When it comes to adapting your instruction to fit student needs, do you do it before instruction, during instruction, or after instruction? Prior to this year, I always managed to foresee changes and adapt my lesson plans/instruction prior to teaching. This year? This year brings all new challenges. In a class with multiple reading abilities, …
It happens. You have the fabulous lesson, and you start to teach, and then something happens and a disruption breaks out. It’s bound to happen when you have 23 students in a room, and 15 of them have learning disabilities or behavior issues. You’re going to expect that to happen. You redirect, move closer to …
SSR or Silent Sustained Reading is something that you should include in your classroom daily as it: Improves reading stamina Provides students with enjoyment Improves test scores Increases confidence Improves reading stamina It’s true that students lack the stamina needed to read during the state testing. Too often, students become weary after reading long passages …
What if I told you that there was an easy way to increase reading scores in your students’ tests that didn’t involve more testing and more lessons? In the past, I was introduced to the concept of reading literacy. The district I worked with had a very strict policy of including Independent Reading, Read Alouds, …
Finding books for boys that they find interesting and that will engage them in reading can be difficult. So many times, especially in middle school, boys tend to move away from books. Last year, I challenged my students to read. They kept a reading log, and we started off with 15 minutes each class period …