Visual Feedback: How Three Highlighters Can Improve Student Writing

Writing is full of visuals: authors use imagery and figurative language, stories sweep us away to new places, characters seem to come alive. And yet, when it comes to providing feedback on writing, it's usually anything but visual. At best, feedback is meaningful and works to improve student writing--whether through comments or a rubric. However, often the… Continue reading Visual Feedback: How Three Highlighters Can Improve Student Writing

Reframe Test Anxiety into Excitement

Researchers are continually finding out more about the human body and brain, so I'm always on the lookout for golden nuggets of studies that can benefit my students. The Atlantic recently published the article "Can Three Words Turn Anxiety into Success?" which I found because it was posted to Facebook by Donors Choose. Student anxiety is an especially hot topic… Continue reading Reframe Test Anxiety into Excitement

Quizizz Review

You know how you always keep a couple of tricks up your sleeve and a few strategies in your back pocket? Well, Quizizz is another one to add to your collection. I checked it out briefly last weekend; I liked how easy it was to sign up and especially how intuitive the interface is. Within… Continue reading Quizizz Review

Four Reasons Why Failure is Good for Teenagers

This post contains affiliate links. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting All Kinds of Learning Adventures! Despite that it is one of the most important life experiences, "failure" has become a "dirty word" for families and teachers. As teachers, we intervene at just about every turn, check off our list of accommodations, document… Continue reading Four Reasons Why Failure is Good for Teenagers

Easy Class Builders

It's the little things that create a community in your classroom. After completing a quiz, have the kids do something on the back when they're done (this is a great way to prevent straying eyes getting answers) and then having the second student grade the paper and interact with whatever was done on the back.… Continue reading Easy Class Builders

Making the Most Out of Minis

In our state, there are benchmarks, and there are mini-benchmarks. The Benchmarks are given in the fall and winter to evaluate student progress before the state test in April. The "Mini Benchmarks" (or minis) are 5 question assessments that are related to one particular standard. Having been in 3 districts, I've seen the benchmarks implemented… Continue reading Making the Most Out of Minis