Teacher Tips and Tricks Blog

Keep Them Learning All SummerWritten by © MonicaCreatesLLC 2019What Research Shows About Summer SlideResearch concludes that children who do not read and/or continue learning throughout the summer, can lose up to three months, or 22%, of the progress they made during their school year. This loss is most prevalent in grades K-2 and has a cumulative, long-term effect. Studies show that this loss consumes up to 4-6 weeks of re-teaching at the beginning of each school year. Using these findin …

Use Movement to Engage Your High School StudentsWould you like to engage your students more and change up the routine? Get them moving!Once our students enter high school we tend to expect them to sit still and focus for longer - and they absolutely should be able to do that. But we have to remember that they’re still kids. Picture yourself sitting in a boring professional development meeting and feeling restless and bored. Yet we often do the same thing to our students. I’ve gathered some strat …

WORD SORTSWritten by © MonicaCreatesLLC 2019What Are Word Sorts?A word sort is an individual or small group activity in which students sort words by linking to their prior knowledge. The sorts advance student knowledge, are active and fun, are an analytical and implicit approach to learning, are beneficial to ELL students, as well as being supported by research.Word Sorts are the heart of Word Study. Students sort words into categories based on any number of criteria or features (alphabetic …

The education field has dramatically changed in the last century. For example, back in the early 1900s, teachers would merely stand in front of the class to give instructions, review her lesson for the day, then send the pupils home. Back during those times, there weren't any video games or other technological advancements to distract children. True, instruction is part of the curriculum to this day, but we live in a different time; most students' attention span is short, there are too ma …

Inspiring Teachers Blog #1: Passion for Positive TeachingBy Danny HaugerHost of Inspiring Teachers PodcastThe springtime brings sunlight, allergies, and antsy students. Everyone can feel the warm sun and thinks about the upcoming summer. As a high school teacher, my Senior students are eagerly anticipating adulthood and freedom. Everyone could be forgiven for having a wandering mind for at least a few moments each day in the classroom. Staying positive is the key to a successful fourth qua …