Getting kids to restate the question in the answer is a skill that most teachers expect from their students. It helps to make sure students are writing in complete sentences. It helps students answer the specific question that is asked, as well. In my class, I use the acronym PQA (Put the Question in the Answer). After hearing from teachers from all over, I realized that 1) Many people don’t call restating the question PQA
I am a big fan of repurposing things for the classroom, especially things I can find for free or very cheaply. I keep an eye out for games at places like Salvation Army, rummage sales, and Dollar Tree and bring them into the classroom. Of course there are many games that already pretty simple at tying into education (Battleship works on the coordinate grid, Chutes and Ladders can also easily be used to work on
As the end of the year is drawing near, I thought I’d do a post sharing some of the anchor charts we’ve created throughout the year. Now, I’ll be perfectly honest and say my creative skills are lacking. I make these with my students, and so my handwriting is often sloppy as I’m quickly writing, and there are a few authentic mistakes. But that’s what makes them real and useful in our rooms. I also
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is obviously recognized with a national holiday. In my area, some schools observe it with the day off, and some schools are in session to learn more about him and the Civil Rights movement. With Black History month being just after, it’s also a great time to be intentional about teaching about other influential African-Americans that helped to create positive change in our country. I have tried to be intentional
I first heard of RAFT writing several years ago as a strategy for students to show their content knowledge beyond just writing reports. Most of the suggestions for use have been in upper grades classrooms, especially in middle school and high school. It’s also a common format for writing in content areas to have students demonstrate their understanding of the topic that has been learned- often as a product at the end of the unit.
