When I first started hearing about and learning about NGSS I had some misconceptions. It was easy for me to misunderstand and believe the things I was hearing from others. Unfortunately, there are some myths related to the Next Generation Science Standards. After much research about these “new” standards, I… Continue Reading »
Understanding the Next Generation Science Standards
Our state and district have been slow to transition into the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and after all the myths I’ve heard, I was a little reluctant to learn about them too. They first adopted the Common Core and then worked into them. Now that we have adopted a… Continue Reading »
Preparing Students for Testing
At one time spring was my favorite season. It’s supposed to be a time of renewing. The trees budding and flowers are appearing. But in the land of education, it has a bleaker sight. The sight of test booklets, online assessments, stressed children, pacing bored teachers trying to catch a… Continue Reading »
Gauging How Long a Lesson Will Take
When I first started teaching I remember writing lesson plans and worrying that I was not planning enough for the small amount of time that I had students. I remember worrying that students would whip through the work and then I would be left standing there with nothing for them… Continue Reading »
Speeding Up Classroom Transitions
Classroom transitions can take up a lot of class time. Often the teacher and many students are left waiting on others to finish what they are doing before they can continue on with the next activity. When it comes to saving time in the day, what can be done to… Continue Reading »
Using Explicit Teaching
A while back I was sent to a conference that all teachers in my district had to attend. I was not exactly thrilled about going because it was on explicit teaching. I already knew what that was and felt I would be wasting my time. The conference was by Anita… Continue Reading »
Examples of I Do, We Do, You Do
A while back I wrote a blog post titled, I do, We do, You do that was quite a hit. But, it also left people with some questions. Over the last year or so, I have received many emails asking for an example of what it would look like in… Continue Reading »
Why You SHOULD Be Using a Preassessment
A while back, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher. Somehow, we got on the topic of assessments, and I mentioned that I like to pretest my students because of the wealth of information I receive when I do so. I was actually surprised to… Continue Reading »
Seeing Results with Homework
Homework can be a controversial subject. Those who are against it often state that it is not an effective instructional tool and can be detrimental to the student’s health. They are quick to cite that it interferes with home activities and values work over the family’s well-being. Those who are… Continue Reading »
Feel Confident Teaching Science (or Any Subject)
Grammar. I loathe grammar. When I was a child, my sister would follow me around and constantly be ready to leap at every little thing I would say incorrectly. Oh, she just loved to correct my grammar, and quite honestly, I was horrible at it. I had no clue because,… Continue Reading »