Category: Uncategorized

Teaching Shakespeare to Struggling Readers

Shakespeare presents an exceptional challenge for struggling readers. All the plastic swords and bad student acting will help get students interested in the content. But it won’t be enough for those who find everyday reading a significant challenge. Below I’ve outlines some steps that will help struggling readers get a

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Is Annotating Necessary? Five Reasons Why

For many of our students, annotating is like making their bed. Annotation is something they do because someone in charge tells them to do it, not because it makes sense. After all, if you’re just going to get back into the bed at night, why bother making it at all?

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Designing Awesome Virtual Learning Experiences

Many teachers have found out that we are doing distance learning for the remainder of the school year. There has also been some talk of doing something similar in the fall in a lot of districts. It’s been hard. Hard on the students, the teachers, and the parents. And for

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Cutting Down On Cheating

In a virtual learning environment, cheating is inevitable. We aren’t around to monitor students’ progress and honesty. There’s a temptation to get wok done as quickly as possible so that they can do something else. Or, to be fair, some students are watching their younger siblings all day and are

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getting started with romeo and juliet

Getting Started With Romeo and Juliet

For many students, Romeo and Juliet is the first experience they have with Shakespeare. And it’s a huge leap for them from what they’ve read in school before. The language is difficult, the cultural context is foreign, and the material looks indecipherable. However, as a teacher, there are steps you

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Nine Tips For New Teachers

If you’re reading this, I hope you are one of the lucky who get to be a teacher. It’s a great job and very rewarding, but I’ll tell you that the first year will be no picnic. You’ll be working hard to establish the type of teacher your students will

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Silent Discussions in the Classroom

We all know the benefits of discussion in the classroom whether it be teacher-led, Socratic, or any of the other effective strategies for getting kids talking. However, silent discussions can also be a powerful tool for active reading and learning. Silent discussions work well because: All students participate. Classroom discussions

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sketchnotes

Using Sketchnotes With Novels and Plays

  What are sketchnotes? Sketchnotes are becoming an increasingly popular way for students to take notes for lectures. However, there is much value to be gained from using them along with – or instead of – traditional methods like Cornell notes and annotation. Studies have shown that engaging the visual

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