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June 2018 Book Reviews
Now that school is out, I’m hoping to make some big progress on my 2018 reading goal of 50 books because I am falling seriously behind! Night Road by Kristin Hannah If you have read the last few of these, you would know that I’m on a bit of a Kristin Hannah kick. This book did not disappoint! This is the story of two families and how a bad decision can affect so many people. Jude is a bit of a helicopter mom with teenaged twins. Lexi is a teenager whose mother was not around for her. She was taken out of foster care by a great aunt who wanted…
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Pre-Reading Strategies for Middle School
Teaching reading to middle school students can be difficult. There aren’t as many resources for teaching middle school reading intervention. Check out 4 Resources for Middle School Reading Intervention. It can also be difficult to find age-appropriate activities to work with students on pre-reading. K-W-L Chart This is one technique for pre-reading that does translate to older students. A K-W-L Chart is where you have the students start by listing what they know about a topic (this is the “K”). Then, you have them make a list of everything that they want to know about the topic (the “W”). And then post-reading you add the third column of everything that…
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Special Education Guide: The Difference between Accommodations and Modifications
So you have a student that isn’t doing well. Your school uses some version of the RTI model, and you’ve tried to help them in the classroom. But, no matter what you do, they still are struggling so your Child Find team decides its time to explore special education. You start hearing words thrown around like “accommodations” and “modifications,” but you’re not quite sure the difference. Aren’t they both kind of the same thing? No, they’re not. Accommodations are the basis of a 504 plan, and Modifications are the basis of “specialized instruction” or an IEP. Here’s why: Accommodations: Let’s start with accommodations. Accommodations are things that you put in…
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5 Tips for Selling on TeachersPayTeachers.com
Are you looking to make a few extra bucks? Selling your own products on Teacherspayteachers.com can be a great way to share the great things that you’ve made for your classroom with other teachers while making some money at the same time! Upgrade to Premium…the sooner, the better! There are two kinds of seller memberships, basic and premium. The Basic membership is free, and the Premium membership is $59.95 annually. With a Basic Membership, you receive 55% of all sales and have to pay 30 cents per resource in transaction fees. But… in the premium membership you get 80% of all sales, and the transaction fee is only 15 cents…
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When Co-Teaching Gets Tough
Let’s face it, co-teaching can be hard! Seriously, co-teaching can be really difficult! You have to work very closely with another teacher that you don’t get to pick. Your principal decides one day that you will be working with another teacher. Who knows if your personalities will mesh well!? There is a lot of anxiety that comes with co-teaching, and fortunately, my three current co-teachers are all strong, amazing women who are patient with me, and we work well together. But this isn’t always the case! Sometimes you get assigned to work with a teacher, and co-teaching may be difficult. Be Patient Most of the time (hopefully all of the…
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May 2018 Book Reviews
Let me tell you, I can’t wait until summertime when I can just read all the time. It is actually taxing at times to find time to finish three books. And that is so sad! But this month I read some good ones. Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah If you have read a book by Kristin Hannah, then you are probably a fan. The first book that I read from her was The Nightingale and that is probably one of the best books that I have ever read. And this novel did not disappoint. Winter Garden is a novel about two daughters and their mother. After their father passes they try to…
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How to Make Money Blogging!
Is this for you? Is your blog stuck in a rut? Are you up and running but the money isn’t coming quite as you expected? Have you had an idea for a blog, but you’re not sure to go about launching it and making it profitable? I found an amazing course to help you make money blogging. You have to check out Launch Your Blog Biz! This course is seriously amazing! It takes the difficult task of making a profitable blog and teaches you step-by-step how to start making money. Who are these people and why should I listen to them? Alex and Lauren at Create and Go have…
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Tips for a New Teacher
Being a new teacher can be terrifying. You come out of school with confidence, and all of the sudden you are thrown into a job and responsible for a room of children. Take a moment and breathe, every teacher was a first-year teacher at one time and you’re going to do great! Don’t compare yourself to others It can be really easy to look at another teacher and immediately see everything that they are doing better than you. But, as a human, you’re probably not also seeing everything that you are doing better than them. Don’t compare yourself! The other first-year teacher down the hall may have the perfect classroom. …
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My Whole30 Must Haves!
I have spent years trying to negotiate with my stomach and make it cooperate. It has not been easy. After hearing from friends and family members about the Whole 30 program, I decided that I would try my first Whole 30! It was terrifying and challenging; I am not going to lie to you. But, I did it! Did I make some miraculous discoveries about my body and digestive system? No, unfortunately, I didn’t. But, I learned a lot about myself, my dependence on certain foods, and my cravings. Throughout my Whole 30, there were a few things that I couldn’t have lived without, some food products and some reference…
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Benefits of Using Word Walls in Secondary Education
Word walls are common things to see in elementary school classrooms. But, as the students get older and older, you begin to see them less. Word walls still have use in secondary classrooms. Benefits for English Language Learners Students who are English Language Learners could benefit the most from having word walls in middle school or high school classrooms. These students are constantly trying to comprehend what they’re reading or hearing, translate it into their native language, and then formulate a response and translate it back. This can be exhausting. Providing these students with a word wall with commonly used and taught vocabulary words could help them recall…
