Minecraft Camp Invites “Struggling” Students into School-Based Literacy Activities

Program Designed to Help Struggling Students with Literacy What:  This activity took place in a Title I school in which over 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch and about 25% are identified as English learners. Because we receive federal and state money, we also have numerous government mandates to fulfill. Some […]

Collaboration with Dry Erase Boards

Dry Erase Boards Creates a Culture of Conversation While Encouraging Small Group Interactions In the realm of education and instruction, collaboration is a hot topic. The mathematics classroom thrives on collaboration among students, fostering deeper thinking. Use of dry erase boards can enhance problem solving, boost self-confidence, and assist in the practice of mathematics. This […]

Game Based Learning in Science Classes

In-Class Games Help Students Apply Key Concepts In my high school science classes I attempt to keep lecture time down per each one hour class.  The remainder of the time is spent applying the class concepts to various content related problems.  I break students into groups every class for collaborative learning.  In an effort to […]

Jigsaw Activity in the World Language Classroom

Interactive Activity Helps Students Create Their Own Learning During our unit on travel and transportation, I wanted to design an activity that was more interactive than simply finding information from an authentic French website. I know that the “jigsaw” technique is a cooperative learning strategy that allows students to create their own learning. I found […]

Let’s Get Visual

Visual Cue Cards Enhance Classroom Management This summer, I attended a conference on appealing to special needs students.  There were many strategies presented about adding more visual elements to your classroom.  I felt like I wasn’t doing enough to appeal to the visual learners in my classroom.  This year, I have tried out visual cue […]

Kennedy Assassination: Crime Scene Investigation

Unique Class Assignment Encourages Students to Use Problem Solving and Communication Skills Students travel back in history to 1960 to the presidential election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy. We spend a week acquiring biographical information while comparing and contrasting the influence of media then and now. Once students have a good understanding of […]

Student Led Book Clubs

Book Club Allows Students to Take Ownership for Their Reading Book Club was originally created through collaboration with a third grade teacher(me) and fifth grade teacher who were seeking a way to empower students to have meaningful discussions on complex texts that were being read in class.  When Book Club was first created, the whole […]

The Roots of Rap

Students Learn About Slavery and How its Effects are Still Present Today in Rap Music This project is intended to help students draw connections between the history of oppression (slavery) in the American south and contemporary issues that plague the African-American community today.  Students begin researching the oppressive nature of colonization and subjugation and then […]

Community Inclusion: Bringing a Novel to Life

Using Classic Literature to Inspire Student Success Through Inclusion So many great works of literature connect to universal themes experienced by our students. Students in high school with functional reading levels significantly below their peers need assistance in accessing the literature their peers study in general education high school English classes. Finding time to collaborate […]