Instructional Strategies

I’m always on the hunt for low-prep, high-impact activities that make teens forget they’re learning. My latest classroom crush? The career exploration mind map. Hand students a giant sheet of chart paper (or access to a slick digital mind-mapping tool) and watch the brainstorming fireworks begin. In one class period, they’ll go from vague notions […]

If your students ever blurt out “Why does that happen?”—congratulations! You’ve hit the entry point to the scientific method. As teachers, we’re constantly looking for ways to channel natural curiosity into structured inquiry. A well-designed scientific method worksheet gives students that structure, guiding them from an initial question to a solid, evidence-based conclusion. In this

When I started teaching two decades ago, I checked understanding mostly at the end of a unit—right when it was too late to change much. Now I treat learning like a living, breathing organism: I take its pulse early and often. That ongoing check-in is the heart of formative assessment, and it has saved me

Every time students read between the lines—guessing why a character slammed a door or predicting what might happen next—they’re practicing inferencing. Yet many readers don’t realize how often they use background knowledge and textual evidence to arrive at those unspoken conclusions. An inferencing anchor chart turns that hidden thinking into something they can see. By

If you’ve ever asked your students, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and been met with blank stares or answers like “a YouTuber” or “someone who gets paid to nap” (relatable), then it might be time to introduce the Job Skills Matchup game into your classroom. This simple, hands-on activity helps

So you want to teach your students about time travel paradoxes. You brave, brilliant soul. Maybe you’ve read The Silent Guardian and thought, “Yes, let’s absolutely unpack the existential horror of collapsing timelines with a room full of teenagers.” I support this decision. There is no better way to build critical thinking skills—and also make

1. Use Think-Pair-Share Instead of tossing out a question and waiting for that one student (you know the one) to answer, try Think-Pair-Share. Give everyone a moment to think, then pair up to discuss before sharing with the class. It gives all students a safe entry point into participation—and saves us from the dreaded awkward

As teachers, we’ve all experienced the frustration of students simply refusing to do their work. I’ve been there countless times, standing at the front of my classroom wondering how to get students to engage in assignments without feeling like I’m pulling teeth. Through trial and error—and more coffee than I’d care to admit—I’ve learned several

As a teacher, I’m always on the lookout for interactive activities that not only engage my students but also promote critical thinking and broaden their understanding of the world. One such activity that has proven to be a hit in my classroom is the “Guess My Job” career game. This game is a twist on