When I first started as a reading teacher, I was shocked by the amount of errors my students made without self-correcting. I’m not talking about not being able to pronounce an unknown word or struggling with sounding one out. I’m talking about students saying that “The dog meowed” and not stopping to figure out what the heck just happened. And while that might be a slight exaggeration, it really was astonishing to me. I quickly
A couple of the schools I’ve worked at over the years have used NWEA as our diagnostic assessment. As a previous test and data coordinator, and as a classroom teacher, I’ve spent a lot of time digging into the data and using it to help make instructional decisions. I have used it to help identify students in need of additional supports through MTSS or RtI. It’s helped me decide specific skills to reinforce with my
Classroom management is crucial. We can dream about having 25 kids sit in their desks, listen, and do exactly what we ask of them. But, it’s not going to happen. In fact, I think it might make things a bit boring actually. *gasp* I mean, sometimes that kid who shouts out something so ridiculous that makes you all (including you) laugh, is a blessing in disguise because things need lightening up. But, none of us
Have you heard of clock partners? It’s a great instructional strategy to partner your students up quickly. It’s easy to implement and is a great engagement strategy. When I originally saw it, it was with students walking around and finding partners for all 12 of their spaces. But, I wondered if there was a way to make it more meaningful. With some intentionality, and a quick note to yourself, you can use clock partners as
