All Episodes
Episodes
017. 7 Simple Strategies for Building Background Knowledge
As a presenter, one thing I always like to acknowledge before starting any session is that teachers bring a wide range of experience and knowledge to the table. Itās nearly impossible to create a session where...
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016. The Dos and Donāts of Background Knowledge
Have you ever been in a situation where everyone around you seemed to know something you didnāt? That was me in a leadership team meeting when I was asked to pick my favorite Muppet character. I only knew two: Kermit...
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015. Stop the Vocab Struggle: Easy Ways to Build Word Knowledge in Grades 3ā6
Episode 15 | Stop the Vocab Struggle: Easy Ways to Build Word Knowledge in Grades 3ā6
If youāve ever wrapped up a read-aloud or small group lesson only to hear your students describe characters as ānice,ā āmean,ā or...
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014. This Routine Will Change Your Instruction
Comprehension is the heart of upper elementary instructionāand while we spend a lot of time teaching it, not all strategies give students the same results. What if there was one simple routine that could make...
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How to Start the Year Strong: 5 Simple Tips for Launching Your Literacy Block
The start of the school year is always a whirlwindābetween classroom setup, professional development, and learning 25 new names (or more), itās easy to feel like your literacy block becomes an afterthought.
But those...
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012. Teaching Grammar in the Classroom Simple Strategies
If grammar instruction feels like the one part of your week thatās constantly getting shuffled, trimmed, or skipped altogetherā¦ youāre not alone.
Between fitting in reading groups, writing blocks, and all the moving...
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011. Mentor Sentence Made Simple: How to Introduce Grammar in Context
In this episode of Teaching Made Simple, weāre cutting through the clutter of grammar instruction and zooming in on one powerful tool thatĀ is perfect for introducing grammar in contextāmentor sentences. Whether youāre...
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010. The Writing Process Simplified for 3rd Through 6th Grade
Do your students groan when itās time to write? Youāre not alone. But hereās the good news: writing doesnāt have to feel overwhelmingāfor them or for you. In this episode, weāre breaking down the writing process into...
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009. How to Build a Writing Block That Actually Works
Letās be honestāwriting blocks are one of the first things to get pushed aside when the schedule gets tight. And if youāve ever tried to teach writing while juggling pull-outs, behavior needs, and a jam-packed...
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008. The 5 Biggest Writing Myths Teachers Still Believe
Hereās the truth: most of the writing frustration we feel as teachers isnāt because weāre doing something wrongāitās because weāve been taught to believe things that simply arenāt true.
Whether it came from...
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007. Why Writing Feels So Hard to Teach--and What to Do About It
If teaching writing feels overwhelming, frustrating, or like an endless guessing gameāyouāre not alone. In todayās episode, Iām sharing a story from my own journey, moving from kindergarten to fourth grade with...
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006. Clarity Over Chaos: How to Reset Your Literacy Instruction This Summer
Feeling exhausted by the end of the school year but still determined to āfigure things outā this summer? This episode is your permission slip to stop trying to do all the thingsāand instead, focus on creating clarity...
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