This post contains affiliate links. If I earn anything, I’ll use it to buy more prizes for my VIP section. They say thanks! I created a V.I.P. section for my classroom two years ago. It was a simple idea, for a simple reason, and it was one of my best ideas in my years as […]
How to Talk to Your Students About War – When They Think it’s a Game
If you’ve been teaching history long enough, you’ve probably had some students in your classroom that seemed a little too excited about war. Gross wartime injuries are “awesome!” Students think that the solution to any confrontation is to just, “drop a giant bomb on them.” When I first started teaching, these comments were too common, […]
10 Ways to use Pear Deck in your History Classroom
(NOTE: This is not a paid review, and I haven’t received a premium account for my review. I just really love Pear Deck.) Last year, I discovered Pear Deck, and my direct instruction hasn’t been the same since. I’ve never been a huge fan of direct instruction, and I’ve slowly removed most direct lectures from my […]
Designing your Social Studies Classroom Cheaply and Easily
This post contains affiliate links. I use the money earned to buy books for my classroom library and to review for this blog. This past year, I decided that my Social Studies classroom really needed a bit of an update. I’ve been in the same classroom for the past 15 years (I know, it’s shocking.) […]
First Year Middle School Teacher? – Here’s Some Advice
If you don’t know already, I have a group for Middle School Social Studies Teachers on Facebook. These teachers are fantastic at providing advice and resources to their fellow teachers. Recently, an individual new to the profession asked for some advice as a first year middle school teacher. Of course, the group replied with some […]
5 “Must-dos” for the First Day of Class
I’ve been teaching seventh grade for a long time. Still, every year, I find myself changing up my routine for the first day of class every year. As a middle school teacher, I only have 40 minutes to introduce my classroom to my students. I like to make that experience memorable and make sure that […]
Keeping Students Organized With a Binder Organization System
I’ve often discussed how I dislike interactive notebooks. As a result, teachers often ask me what organization system I have my students utilize instead. My method of student organization focuses on a binder method of organization. My Binder Organization System Very simply, my students organize all classroom handouts into a binder. I store the binders […]
Socratic Seminars in the Middle School Social Studies Classroom
Setting Up a Socratic Seminar Middle school students are still learning the art of conversation, so when we as educators decide to have our class conduct a Socratic Seminar, we need to offer some structure to make sure that the debate offers a positive learning experience. I’ve had several debates over the years, some much […]
It’s not about the pencil.
When I was a new teacher, I found the loss of classroom supplies maddening and infuriating. In particular, pencil loss ticked me off on a daily basis. I would loan out pencils every day, and they would just disappear, into the oblivion, never to be seen again. I would remind students that it was not […]