Teacher's Tale

What is your favorite book genre?  Do you like to read fiction?...mystery?...fantasy?... so many choices, so little time!!!  If you're like me, you know that you love books... you have so many that you want to read from different genres, but you find it difficult to set time aside AND you don't want to get bored with your book choices!  Well, did you ever think about your own students and how they might feel about reading? Book choice matters for them, too! Often, children may experience a lack of interest in reading because they are given reading materials that they do not enjoy.  They might feel that they are wasting their time on a task that they may find meaningless... this is where you come in! It is our job to help our students enjoy reading and get excited about it! Here are some ways that you can do that ~ Book Talks! - Introduce a variety of books to your students each week with book talks.  These are like "movie trailers" for bo...

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Have you ever heard the quote, "Words have power?"  It's certainly true!  The words we say, think, and write each day hold the power to influence ourselves and the people around us.  As teachers, we especially influence our students' lives with our words.  That's our job, isn't it?!  Teachers' words truly have power within the classroom!  Teachers can use their power through words by exemplifying positivity.  Positivity goes a long way, especially with students.  As a teacher, I always like to give praise to students when it is due.  Children deserve to feel good and to be recognized for their efforts.  Using positive reinforcement, such as praise, keeps children engaged, happy, and ready to learn more!  Even if it's a simple, "Great job!," "Way to go!," or "Keep up the good work!," children appreciate this praise coming from an important role model in their lives.  Teachers can also use their power through ...

Plan, prep, repeat!  Lesson planning is a key component of teaching.  One thing that is constantly on the minds of teachers is how they can best plan their lessons.  Planning a lesson can often be a fun part of teaching, since it requires creative thinking and problem solving.  In order to meet state standards, create appropriate goals and objectives, and maintain student engagement through learning activities, teachers must truly think about what they want their students to learn and how they will learn it!  With the following tips, you can plan a successful lesson, no matter the subject or content area!  1. Know your audience! This is where knowing your students comes into play.  It is critical to know who you are teaching the content to.  "What do my students enjoy?," "What prior knowledge do my students have?," "How do students' backgrounds impact the lesson?" "What types of accommodations do I need to add into this lesso...

Creativity in the classroom and providing students with new ideas and perspectives is what teaching is all about! If teachers stop being creative, then learning will cease. Children will no longer become engaged; rather, they will find learning to be dull, and they will see no connection to what you are trying to teach them. To combat lack of creativity in the classroom, remember these key points.  1. Be hands-on  2. Incorporate humor  3. Share real-world experiences  Providing kids with hands-on experiences in the classroom is crucial to creativity! Interactive activities engage students with the content that they are learning. One of the ways that I've discovered to interact with students is through becoming someone you are not. "What does that mean?," you might ask. Here is an example. I was once given a task to create a lesson based on contractions... and I based my lesson on a hands-on experience through "contraction surgery." I dress...