Using Reflection to Build Strong Teacher-Student Relationships

Throughout the school year, we as teachers focus on building relationships between teachers and students. These teacher-student relationships create an in-class dynamic that supports the social and academic development of students, and often makes the work in the classroom, especially for classroom management, easier.  But as we close out a…

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A Better Way To Support Student Organization Skills In Any Class

In class, our focus is most often on content and meeting curriculum requirements. But just beyond that focus is the zone of learning skills such as student organization skills and time management skills. These aren’t often the most engaging aspects of what happens in the classroom but they are fundamental…

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Everything You Need To Teach Symbiotic Relationships

Symbiotic relationships play an imperative role in the ecology unit. Learning how organisms interact with one another feels limitless and unbounded for our students. Have you noticed that the level of engagement in your class is enhanced when you discuss animals, their lifestyles and habitat choices? Sample the Niches, Habitats…

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Easy Ways to Teach the Characteristics of the Atmosphere

We have something incredible in common...We breathe the same air! What exactly is this air we breathe composed of? What does it mean to breathe "fresh" air? Does the air change in composition throughout different parts of the world? What about at different altitudes? What are the characteristics of the…

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10 Quick and Simple Tips For Writing An Effective Lesson Plan

My relationship with lesson plans has been somewhat of a rollercoaster for more than a decade. I first learned about lesson plans in my education classes in college. My professors explained how lesson plans provide teachers with a framework and a sense of accountability to ensure they are walking into…

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How to Effectively Add Student Choice into Your Classroom Routines

Our students often feel that they have little to no choice as soon as they enter the halls of school, and this is why student choice matters. This is especially the case with middle and high school-aged kiddos. There are expectations set forth by their parents, their teachers, their school…

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3 Ways to Teach Students How To Interpret Data

How to interpret data is important for both students and teachers. Data analysis and interpretation are key components of any science class, especially when working with the scientific method. We teach our students to gather necessary information, to analyze all components of their findings, and to draw conclusions prior to…

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How Formative Assessments Help Teachers Make Informed Instructional Decisions

As a classroom teacher, we make many decisions in a day. Formative assessments are assessments that are administered during the learning process to gather information about students' understanding, knowledge, and skills. They provide teachers with a way to monitor student progress and make informed instructional decisions. Formative assessments can come…

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