For the last month, I have been helping two other teachers get our middle school chorus ready for their spring concert and Fine Arts night in May. They are singing three selections from The Greatest Showman. Continue reading
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The Future is Now.
Or so it seems. . . . A couple of weeks ago, the inevitable happened. . . . a student used AI and ChatGPT to “write” his assignment. I thought I had pretty much madeContinue reading
Reading/Writing Workshop — Week 1
This is the end of the first week of reading and writing workshop in my classes. I am reading a couple of books–The Literacy Studio by Ellin Oliver Keene (she wrote Mosaic of Thought years ago,Continue reading
Revising My Thinking–and My School Year
I am halfway through the third quarter of the 2022-2023 school year. It has been another hard year: it is the year of our five-year accreditation evaluation; the learning “gaps” are becoming more obvious; it’sContinue reading
What’s Up with EQ’s?
Essential Questions. I first heard about them in the early 2000s when I took some Intel Teach to the Future training. We had to create a unit plan and portfolio using Microsoft products that weContinue reading
Standards and Mastery
One of the things I’ve struggled with this past year is assessment. I am not satisfied with the standard multiple choice test as a way of measuring students’ learning. They, as I did, often memorizeContinue reading
How to Spend a Saturday
Sleep in. Sit on the couch and pretend you are doing “school work.” Read devotions. Make a chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Do income taxes. Find teachers to follow on Instagram. Stalk said teachers onContinue reading
Finding My Voice
For the last month or so, I have been working with a wonderful coach–Amanda of Mud and Ink Teaching. Together we are building a curriculum for the middle school around essential questions and inquiry. LastContinue reading
The Whole Class Novel: Is It Worth It?
I have to admit that I am struggling these days. I’m not sure what’s going on, but my students aren’t reading like they used to. To be honest, I’m not reading like I used to. Continue reading
Ditching the Textbook in ELA?
I don’t know when I first heard of Matt Miller and his “mantra” of ditching the textbook, but the idea appealed to me. I love anthologies of literature because they have been curated and compiled,Continue reading