So absolutely no judgment for teachers who use paint chips for lessons because #itsforthekids , but if you are like me and feel a little sheepish stuffing 100 of these into your bag at the hardware store, I have a solution for you! First, here are my favorite paint chip poetry lesson plans: Paint Name Haiku- Paint names can be a beautiful form of creative ... Read More about Paint Chip Poetry Without the Guilt + Literary Paint Names
High School and Middle School ELA Essay Revision Stations
Ahh, essay revision stations day--the part of the writing process where students reluctantly exchange papers, pretend they are reading a peer's essay, then show off their vocabulary range by writing "good job!" on the essay they didn't read. 😉 After many failed attempts at making traditional peer editing and essay revision effective, I decided to change things up and do essay revision stations ... Read More about High School and Middle School ELA Essay Revision Stations
Ideas for Your Great Gatsby Classroom Party
I recently had a former student share a FB memory of our Great Gatsby classroom party. This picture was from circa 2012, so this was a true throwback! I know that classroom parties can be somewhat controversial in the education world, but in my opinion, a little party never killed nobody! It warmed my teacher's heart to find out years later that our Gatsby party was cool enough for her to ... Read More about Ideas for Your Great Gatsby Classroom Party
New Year Activities for Students: Growth Mindset Lesson Plans and Ideas
I’ve always found the irony in that I got to experience the back-to-school nightmares and butterflies twice a year since I taught on a block schedule. Just when this introverted teacher got to know and feel comfortable with the fall semester students, it was time to learn 100 new smiling faces in January! My best back-to-school ideas never seemed quite right for the new year or new semester ... Read More about New Year Activities for Students: Growth Mindset Lesson Plans and Ideas
Get-to-Know-You Activities for Secondary Language Arts Class
The first day of school in ELA class is equally my favorite and least favorite day of the entire school year. It’s my favorite because there’s just something magical about a fresh new start in a clean, welcoming classroom full of new students that I haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting. It’s my least favorite because even after nine years of teaching, I still get major anxiety and butterflies ... Read More about Get-to-Know-You Activities for Secondary Language Arts Class
The Life Changing Magic of a Clean Classroom
Any time a book has “life-changing” in the title, it warrants the side-eye from me. Yet, I kept hearing that The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo would indeed change my life, so I gave it a try. That was many years, student loan payoffs, world travels, and new career opportunities ago. So yes, I would definitely say that this book changed my life! And, I know it can do the same for ... Read More about The Life Changing Magic of a Clean Classroom
