I’m a visual person when I lesson plan. It’s helpful for me to see what I have. I know many teachers keep file folders full of handouts, but I use a binder where I put all handouts, organized by unit. After 10 years of teaching, I have created about 6 pretty hefty binders of materials, so recently I have created my “take-home binder.” I have a divider in it for each different ... Read More about What was that file called again?
How to promote independent student learning
Do you ever get tired of students asking questions before they have even read the directions? Are you looking for a classroom management strategy to help students become more independent? Then keep reading! This year I have a group of overly cautious students. They are convinced that they need help immediately. Last week I passed out a differentiated activity with a checklist. This is ... Read More about How to promote independent student learning
How to organize games in your classroom
Hands-on games can be a great activity for stations or comprehension checks in your Spanish class. But do you ever worry about how to store all of those manipulatives? And what happens when pieces get misplaced? Tips to avoid losing game pieces Many games can be created just by using small slips of paper or notecards. Let's imagine your biggest class is 24 students and you want them to work ... Read More about How to organize games in your classroom
Google Docs without all the emails
My school became a Google school a few years ago and so our kids don’t print anymore, but they “share” their docs. It’s a very cool feature, but frankly, I hate receiving 110 emails titled “Bobby M. has shared Untitled with you!” Here’s my work-around: 1. Create a google doc and give all students editing access. (In the share section, choose anyone with the link can ... Read More about Google Docs without all the emails
How to teach pronouns in Spanish
I spend a really long time teaching Spanish subject pronouns to my students because I believe it's critical for them to understand this before we begin using any verbs. We start off by making sure they know what pronouns are in English and I show them this School House Rock video. It's old, but they still really like it. Then we do one of their favorite activities all ... Read More about How to teach pronouns in Spanish
How to pre-teach vocabulary with Quizlet
The Value of Repetition We've all learned that repetition is incredibly important to committing vocabulary terms to long-term memory. This is the big idea behind comprehensible input and many of the strategies used in a TPRS classroom: Kids need to hear us say it over and over again. But what percentage of kids actually hear each and every repetition? How many of them ... Read More about How to pre-teach vocabulary with Quizlet
