Classroom Management

1. Building Parent-Teacher Relationships

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/building-parent-teacher-relationships

I like this article because it offers a lot of different parent-teacher communication strategies. Its
also easy to read because its structured into sub-sections, small paragraphs, and bullet points. I
particularly like the subsection Surprise a Parent because it offers the idea of calling a students
home just to tell the parents their child is doing well or has overcome an obstacle.

2. 30 Icebreaker Activities for High School and Middle School Students

http://www.signupgenius.com/school/middlehighschoolicebreakers.cfm

I like this article because it specifically addresses high school and middle school students who
are typically less agreeable when it comes to ice breakers. The article offers a lot of talking ice
breakers that are unique, such as Scars. Students have to show a scar and then explain how
they got it.

3. Using Reinforcement and Punishment at School

http://nspt4kids.com/parenting/using-reinforcement-punishment-school/

This is a good article to peruse because many teachers are unsure of how to discipline their
students; I know I certainly am. The article starts off with reinforcement tactics, which I think is
smart because it helps encourage good behavior in the classroom. It then continues with
punishments such as loss of recess time, extra homework, detention, etc.

4. How to Motivate Your Students: What Every Teacher Should Know but Doesnt
http://www.onlinecollegecourses.com/2012/12/10/how-to-motivate-your-students-what-every-
teacher-should-know-but-doesnt/

As teachers, I think we always ask ourselves: how can we motivate our students to learn? This
article offers many ideas in list format with supplementary explanatory paragraphs. The article
offers ideas such as: change your scenery, encourage self-reflection, give praise when earned,
etc.

5. The First Day of School: These Absolute Musts will Pay Off Big Time
http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/first-day-of-school.html

This article is fantastic because it gives an example outline for what you should do on your first
day of school. Its filled with helpful tips. And its in the first person, which I like because it
makes it more personal.

Lesson Planning

1. Strategies for Effective Lesson Planning

http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/p2_5
This article discusses how to integrate the following three concepts into a lesson plan: (1)
objectives for student learning, (2) teaching/learning activities, and (3) strategies to check student
understanding. The article is organized into six steps that help guide you in the creation of a
lesson plan.

2. 5 Essential Teaching Strategies to Deliver an Effective Lesson

http://www.teachhub.com/5-essential-teaching-strategies-deliver-effective-lesson

This article describes five teaching strategies: (1) teaching strategies: have an objective, (2)
model your expectations, (3) actively engage students, (4) be mobile, and (5) compliment
positive behavior and hard work. I like this article because its short and sweet but provides
excellent characteristics that should be present in an effective lesson plan.

3. Lesson Plans and Unit Plans: The Basis for Instruction

http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/109051/chapters/Lesson-Plans-and-Unit-Plans@-The-
Basis-for-Instruction.aspx

This link provides a chapter from the book The New Teachers Companion. Its rather lengthy,
but its a fantastic resource as it provides an eight-phase lesson plan template. The chapter
focuses on the goal of inspiring students and generating success. It also provides a sample lesson
plan.

4. Lesson Plans: Using Procedures

https://www.teachervision.com/curriculum-planning/lesson-plans-using-procedures

This article specifically focuses on the procedure of your lesson plan. It focuses on three stages:
(1) the motivational opening, (2) the development of the lesson, and (3) the closing. The article is
separated by these stages with bullet points being the core of each section. Its an easy-read and
informative.

5. Planning the Best Curriculum Unit Ever

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/planning-best-curriculum-unit-ever-todd-finley

This article is refreshing. It provides tips that are necessary to hear as an aspiring teacher, such as
what works in one classroom often wont work the next period, flexibility, intuition, and
judgment calls by instructors are needed. The article focuses on unit planning and how a unit is
what guides knowledge acquisition.

Best Practice

1. Defining Best Practice in Teaching

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/defining-best-practice-teaching-rebecca-alber

Before I researched websites related to best practice in my content area, I figured it be a good
idea to find a concrete definition of what best practice really is; and thats exactly what this
website does. Best practice is existing practices that already possess a high level of widely-
agreed effectiveness. The article then proceeds to list a couple of pedagogical practices found to
be popular for educators.

2. 5 Highly Effective Teaching Practices

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/5-highly-effective-teaching-practices-rebecca-alber

I liked this article because of instead of stressing that teachers should always try something new,
she stresses that what matters is having a reason for doing what you do. The author describes 5
highly effective classroom practices: teacher clarity, classroom discussion, feedback, formative
assessments, and metacognitive strategies. Each practice is supported by a descriptor paragraph.

3. English Language Arts Teaching Strategies

http://powerupwhatworks.org/page-puww/ela-instructional-strategies

This is a fantastic website because it provides teaching strategies for a variety of English areas,
such as prewriting, drafting, context clues, semantic mapping, etc. For each of these areas, the
website provides an introductory presentation. As a visual learner, I found this to be especially
effective and helpful.

4. Everything I Know About Teaching Language Arts I Learned at the Office Supply Store
https://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/147

I thought this was a rather unique article. The author describes a variety of classroom practices
that use ordinary office supplies. The author describes how she has her students use office
supplies, such as post-it notes. She requires her students to use post-it notes to tag short passages
of effective description, mark new vocabulary, and give peer feedback.

5. Effectively Teaching Grammar: What Works (and What Doesnt Work)

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/curriculum-instruction/teaching-grammar-what-works-and-
what-doesnt/

This is a great article because I continually worry about how Im going to teach grammar to my
students. Its a boring subject and can be rather complicated. The article is simple and easy-to-
read. The author gives bullet-points of what doesnt work when teaching grammar and short
paragraphs of what does work when teaching grammar.

Development

1. Developmental Milestones for Typical Middle-Schoolers

https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/signs-symptoms/developmental-
milestones/developmental-milestones-for-typical-middle-schoolers

This is a great article because its in an easy-to-read format and isnt jam-packed with
information. The article has four sections: physical milestones, cognitive milestones, language
milestones, and social and emotional milestones. The author provides a short description for
each.

2. Emotional Development in Middle School

http://www.education.com/reference/article/emotional-development-middle-school/

Middle school is an emotional roller coaster for children and this article makes note of that. The
author goes through and describes many of the emotions middle schoolers are experiencing. He
also talks about their interrelatedness to their physical and intellectual development.

3. Erik Eriksons Theory of Development

http://www.psychologynoteshq.com/erikerikson/

This is a classic website describing the Eriksons eight stages of development. Each stage is
accompanied by a short paragraph. I liked this article because the authors supporting paragraphs
arent difficult to comprehend.

4. Piaget Stages of Development

http://www.webmd.com/children/piaget-stages-of-development#1

This article is very similar to the one I used above for Eriksons theory of development. The
website itself is a little displeasing to the eye as it looks cluttered, but the information is still
helpful and easy to understand as the author describes Piagets four stages of cognitive
(intellectual) development.

5. Child Development Theories and Examples

https://www.verywell.com/child-development-theories-2795068

I like this article because it includes descriptions of numerous theories about how children grow
and develop. Each paragraph gives a brief overview of what the theory entails. The author
focuses on social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

Learning Styles

1. Multiple Intelligences: What Does the Research Say?

https://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-research
This article gives a quick overview of Howard Gardners eight intelligences: verbal-linguistic,
logical-mathematical, visual-spatial, musical, naturalistic, body-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and
intrapersonal. Its a helpful article because he clarifies the difference between multiple
intelligences and learning styles.

2. Dos & Donts for Teaching English-Language Learners

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/esl-ell-tips-ferlazzo-sypnieski

Its always handy to have a list of dos and donts by your side. Its an easy way to process
information. This author outlines some of the best practices to use while teaching. He also
includes what you shouldnt do while teaching. For example, he encourages modeling and
frowns up simply telling students what to do.

3. 3 Ways to Plan for Diverse Learners: What Teachers Do

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/differentiated-instruction-ways-to-plan-john-mccarthy

This is an interesting read. The author believes that a teachers responsibility is to connect
content, process, and product. And students respond to learning based on readiness, interest, and
learning profile. He goes on further in the article to explain how to effectively plan differentiated
instruction using these ideas.

4. 7 Major Learning Styles-Which One are You?

https://www.learndash.com/7-major-learning-styles-which-one-is-you/

This article is short and sweet. Its a good go-to to remind teachers of the seven different learning
styles: visual, physical, aural, verbal, logical, social, and solitary. In addition to naming the seven
styles, the author gives teachers a quick description of what these styles entail.

5. Success for ESL Students

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/success-esl-students/

This article is a great, quick read. It provides teachers with 12 helpful tips to help second-
language learners. The 12 tips are: assess needs, empathize, foster a sense of belonging, assign a
buddy, use sheltering techniques, teach key words, read and reread books aloud, provide
opportunities for success, keep track of language progress, value bilingualism, encourage the
familys involvement, and foster an appreciation of cultural diversity.

Educational Issues

1. Tools for Teaching: Managing a Large Class Size

https://www.edutopia.org/blog/managing-large-class-size-rebecca-alber

Its always great to get tips on managing large classes. This article outlines four tips: dont give
up on collaborative grouping, accept that things take longer, find new ways to know students,
and be okay with loud and letting go. I found these tips to be unique and whats great is that if
you read the article, the author wrote a couple of paragraphs to describe each tip.

2. Five Tips for Team Teaching

http://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/teaching-strategies/five-tips-for-team-teaching/

More tips! Except this article focuses on team teaching. The author provides five tips: work on
creating a true team, limit team sizes, plan together, communicate, and be flexible. This author
also goes into further detail to describe each tip.

3. 4 Ways Teachers Can Save on Classroom Expenses

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/high-school-notes/2013/07/15/4-ways-teachers-can-
save-on-classroom-expenses

I found this to be a particularly helpful article because its on a subject that I dont normally think
about. The author provides us with four tips: wish lists and donations, back-to-school sales,
grants and tax breaks, and recycled supplies. Again, this author breaks down each tip and goes
into more detail.

4. Is the Use of Standardized Tests Improving Education in America?

http://standardizedtests.procon.org/

I loved this article because its formatted into a chart that makes it easy to read. Its especially
nice because theres a lot of information packed into this article. The author provides the reader
with 22 pros of standardized testing and 22 cons. If you want to skim, you can read the bolded
first sentence of each pro/con, but if you want to learn more, she goes into more detail.

5. The ins and outs of school finance

http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/the-ins-and-outs-of-school-finance/
This article is actually directed at parents, but it is certainly helpful for a new teacher. The
articles main focus is to help parents understand budget battles, bonds, parcel taxes, and
complicated school funding. Essentially, it gives an overview on our public education funding
system.

Community Resources

1. Why Take Field Trips?

http://www.campsilos.org/excursions/hc/fieldtrip.htm
This is a great website because it provides teachers with an outline of how to conduct a field trip.
The article describes the trip selection, previsit preparation, the trip itself, appropriate follow up,
and evaluation. Its an easy read with helpful tips for each step of the way.

2. The Educational Value of Field Trips

http://educationnext.org/the-educational-value-of-field-trips/
This article stresses the importance of field trips. It describes why field trips are culturally
enriching experiences for children. The article provides research on why field trips contribute to
the positive development of students.

3. 49 Fun & Educational Field Trips

http://www.crosswalk.com/family/homeschool/49-fun-and-educational-field-trips-1339394.html
This article is fantastic. It starts off by describing all of the potential circumstances in which
youd plan a field trip. It then goes on to list 49 different field trips. I found it helpful because,
yes, it listed the basic field trips, but it also listed many that I had never thought of! For
example, I would have never thought to take a trip to the local bakery.

4. 8 Reasons You Should Have More Guest Speakers in Your Classroom

http://blog.quizbean.com/8-reasons-you-should-have-more-guest-speakers-in-your-classroom/
I love list articles because theyre resourceful and easy-to-read. This article breaks down 8
different reasons to have guest speakers: its a break from teaching, students have the opportunity
to learn something new, it supports subjects you may not know a lot about, it creates community
relations, gives professionals a chance to connect with students, parents love participating in
their kids class, there are important lessons to learn, and its simply fun.

5. Getting the Most out of Guest Experts Who Speak to Your Class
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/curriculum-development/getting-the-most-out-of-guest-
experts-who-speak-to-your-class/

This article stresses how guest speakers provide students with new perspectives, it adds variety
to the classroom routine, and demonstrates that learning is a collaborative enterprise. This article
gives teachers many helpful tips to handling guest speakers. It focuses on the logistics of
planning for a speaker.

Assessment

1. Grades and Grading

http://ctl.yale.edu/teaching/teaching-how/chapter-5-grading-and-evaluation/grades-and-grading

Be prepared because this is a long article; but its extremely helpful. It goes over how to grade
any type of assignment. I think its a good article for any new teacher to read because it talks
about how to grade fairly. It starts by suggesting samples. For example, students dont know
what a strong paper looks like until they see one. The article continues with helpful tips like this
one. She suggests you read over several students papers/work before you start grading in order
to get a sense of how the students approached the assignment. Definitely strongly recommend
this article because it continues with many more great pieces of advice!

2. Grading Rubrics Design

https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/sheridan-center/teaching-learning/assessing-
student-learning/designing-rubrics

This link leads to step-by-step instructions for how to create a grading rubric. It describes six
steps: define the purpose of the assignment/assessment for which you are creating a rubric,
decide what kind of rubric you will use: a holistic rubric or an analytic rubric, define the criteria,
design the rating scale, write descriptions for each level of the rating scale, and create your
rubric. Each step is broken down into bullet points, so its easy to follow along with the article.

3. How to Write Good Test Questions

http://www.helpteaching.com/about/how_to_write_good_test_questions/

Ive never thought about the day where Ill have to design my own tests, so this was an eye-
opening article for me. The article dives into how you choose a specific test format and how to
write good questions once youve chosen your format. The article focuses on multiple choice,
true or false, fill-in-the-blank, and open-ended questions. For each question, the author describes
the benefits of each type of question and tips for developing the questions.

4. Three Types of Assessment

http://www.monroeisd.us/departments/curriculum/instructionalservices/assessment/typesofassess
ment/

This article describes the three major forms of assessment: formative, interim, and summative.
Formative assessments can include interactive class discussions, a warm-up, exit slips, etc.
Interim assessments can include chapter tests, extended essays, and projects. Summative
assessments can include standardized testing (ACT), final exams, research projects, etc.

5. Assessing Student Project Work

http://creativeeducator.tech4learning.com/v07/articles/Assessing_Student_Project_Work

This article focuses on how to evaluate student progress. The author specifically describes
authentic assessment, which is used to describe assessment that evaluates content knowledge, as
well as additional skills like creativity, collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation. She
offers helpful tips for how to develop assessments, create rubrics, involve students in assessment,
and incorporate audience assessment.