Integrating Literacy Practices into Science: Nexus Level Vocabulary
Science teachers, have you noticed students’ eyes glaze over when they hit dense, unfamiliar terms? It’s not enough to decode words—they need to grasp their meanings. Morphology, the study of word structures, can transform how students tackle science vocabulary. Imagine breaking down “photosynthesis”—suddenly, “photo” (light) + “synthesis” (putting together) clicks, and understanding blooms. Activities like Etymology Word Webs turn vocabulary lessons into engaging explorations, connecting word roots and building semantic awareness. These tools help students make sense of complex terms, empowering them to read, write, and think like true scientists. Ready to transform your teaching?
Unlocking the Power of Words: How Vocabulary Trees Can Transform Learning in Grades 4-12
Struggling to engage her 7th graders with the language of social studies, Mrs. Ramirez tried something new: Vocabulary Trees. By breaking down intimidating terms like “democracy” and “oligarchy” into their roots, prefixes, and suffixes, her students began to unlock meaning—and confidence. Suddenly, words became tools, not obstacles. Debates came alive with precise language, essays reflected deeper understanding, and test scores soared. “It’s like they finally see the connections,” Mrs. Ramirez marveled. Vocabulary trees didn’t just boost comprehension—they transformed her students into critical thinkers ready to tackle complex texts. Want your students to thrive? Plant the seeds with Vocabulary Trees! 🌳
Unlocking Student Success: Integrating Literacy Skills to Master Next-Gen Science Standards
Are your students struggling to meet the Next Generation Science Standards? One of the biggest obstacles isn’t just content knowledge—it’s the ability to make inferences. This essential skill is often overlooked, yet it’s a game changer when it comes to understanding complex scientific concepts. By integrating literacy strategies, like inferencing, into your science instruction, you can help students connect their background knowledge with evidence and build the reasoning needed for deep comprehension. Ready to empower your students to think critically and ace those performance expectations? Dive into our latest post for practical tips and tools to make it happen!
Making Magic in the Secondary School Library with Monthly Missions
Tired of seeing bored students during study hall? Looking for fresh ways to get them excited about visiting the library? In this post, I’ll share creative monthly challenges that I’ve used to transform my school library into a hub of activity and imagination. From turning a ghost into a famous book character in October to building epic summer reading stacks in June, these simple yet impactful ideas will inspire students to engage, create, and explore—all while keeping your library lively and fun. Curious? Dive in to discover how you can bring these exciting activities to your own library!
Graphic Novels are Reading!!
Graphic novels and webcomics are reshaping how we experience stories. These visual narratives deliver quick, engaging content that resonates with readers of all ages. Once considered a niche, they now fill a crucial gap in literature, offering an accessible and dynamic way to enjoy storytelling in today’s fast-paced world.
Play to Learn: Guess Who
Guess Who– one of the games we all grew up playing and that we probably have in our game closets, if we have kids. The classic game is a fun way to practice deduction, observation, and strategic questioning skills. Just a quick review of the simple rules of the game Each player randomly selects one character from a separate pile of cards. The goal is to guess the opponent’s chosen character by asking yes-or-no questions about their character’s features. Players take turns asking yes or no questions. Players eliminate characters on their board who don’t match the given features. The…
Play to Learn: Tenzi and More!
Today in the Play to Learn series, we are deep diving into the TENZI family of games! We will begin with the original TENZI game, that began this collection of games. TENZI is an exciting and quick-paced dice game that promotes fast reactions and is very easy to learn. To play TENZI, you roll your 10 dice as quickly as possible. The game comes with instructions for eight additional variations, including SPLITZI, MEGA TENZI, and TENZI TOWER. Playing TENZI helps children develop rapid and confident number recognition while being highly enjoyable and straightforward to play. It’s ideal for early finishers…
Play to Learn: Dice of Fury
The first three games we have looked at in our Play to Learn series have been games that take longer to play. Settlers of Catan, 60-90 minutes Carcassonne, 30-90 minutes Ticket to Ride, 30-60 minutes There are ways that teachers can be creative with how the games are played, saved, collaboratively played across different classes of the day, but sometimes we need quick games. Quick games can still connect to content in the classroom, but are time savers! Here is one of my FAVORITE short games to use in the classroom! Dice of Fury Think Yahtzee, with more…
Top Teacher Picks: Must-Have Games for Home and Classroom from Amazon Prime Day
Welcome to the ultimate guide to my favorite teacher items and math manipulatives, all available at unbeatable prices during Amazon Prime Day! As a dedicated educator, I know how essential it is to have the right tools to enhance the learning experience for our students. From engaging math manipulatives that make abstract concepts tangible to indispensable classroom supplies that keep us organized and efficient, this list has everything you need. Join me as I share my top picks, all at amazing discounts, to help you make the most of this year’s Prime Day deals. Get ready to stock up on…
Beyond the Headlines: Teaching Confirmation Bias in Media
Discover how I collaborated with ELA teachers to integrate media literacy lessons using KQED's "Above the Noise" videos. Learn how I created an engaging Hyperdoc on confirmation bias and cognitive bias, helping students spot fake news. Dive into innovative resources and techniques to enhance your classroom's critical thinking skills.
