State testing Season has arrived! Monday it begins ~ the test many students (and teachers) dread all year and many stress out about. It shouldn’t be this way. Why is there so much time, attention and resources given to a test? We participate in professional development all year that reminds us that ...
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Latest from the Cafe
A Night Divided – Teacher Review
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
(2017 Oregon Battle of the Books)
I love historical fiction and read it quite often in both teen literature and regular fiction. Sooo, it can sometimes be hard to find a book with a fresh take and engaging story. A Night Divided proved to be that book for ...
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Why Do We Need To Make Thinking Visible?
When you ask questions in class, do you already have an answer in mind? I loved the phrase in chapter 2 of “guess what's in the teacher’s head”, it made me chuckle out loud. As someone who has observed many lessons in a variety of subjects, it is easy to spot a teacher that has a preconceived ...
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Reflective Students in 5 Easy Steps
Do you ever ask your students to reflect on their learning? If someone was to ask your students, “how do you learn?” would they really know how they learn best? A few years ago, I worked at a charter school where student reflection was part of the school culture. Students understood how to assess ...
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Is Thinking Visible in your Classroom?
Right from page one, the authors of Making Thinking Visible challenge what we know about thinking in our classrooms. When posed with the question, “What kinds of thinking do you value and promote in your classroom?” I admit I was a bit stumped. I immediately thought of questioning. The idea to ...
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Prisoner B-3087 – Teen Review
Student review of Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz
Yanek is just an ordinary 12 year old boy who enjoys reading and Western films, but his life was about to change. Yanek is a Jew and he is about to face his worst nightmare. The Nazis are coming and taking Jews to concentration camps or placing in ...
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