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| A Cure for Spring Fever To counteract Spring Fever in students, retired educator Dave Foley uses rewards and positive peer pressure to keep students focused. |
| Act More, React Less, & Always Plan Ahead Tips from teachers on the NEA Today Facebook page: some school year survival advice you may not have considered before. |
| A Super Start To Staff Meetings Start your staff meetings off on a postive note! Use this tip to celebrate each other BEFORE you get down to business. |
| After School Detention Deana uses a simple procedure to track student behavior, which serves as the basis for assigning after school detention. Find out how this procedure and her school’s commitment to a uniform policy has curbed poor behavior throughout the entire school. |
| A Cheer for Spelling Give me an S-P-E-Double-L, and what have you got? A really fun game that challenges your students to get their spelling words right. Ms. Carlos’ teaching activity is simple and easy to implement, and great for all learning styles. |
| Advertising the Elements From TV to Facebook and YouTube, our students are surrounded by advertising. Learn how this science teacher builds interest in The Periodic Table by capitalizing on her students’ familiarity with ads. Are you buying? |
| Adhere Posters with Velcro Dots Ms. Lesser uses Velcro dots on the back of her posters, walls and cabinets to make it easier to set up or take down, especially during state testing. Read more about how she removes and replaces her posters in an orderly fashion. |
| Alka-Seltzer Science Experiment Here is a fun, quick science experiment using a unique ingredient…. plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what an EXPLOSION it is! Your class will want to do this science experiment over and over again! |
| Active Bingo Ms. Kraft’s modified Bingo game incorporates lots of movement and physical activity into this old favorite. |
| Attendance Without Calling Roll Ms. Pilgreen uses this strategy to quickly take attendance without having to call roll. Her tip also makes life easier for substitute teachers. |
| Adopting Classroom Pets How classroom animals can make even reluctant students want to engage. |
| Active Student Learning Games Ms. Bezet has discovered that her young students learn best when they’re active. Learn about the half dozen different kinesthetic learning games she uses to teach vocabulary, parts of speech and other language arts skills. |
| A Class Full of Reluctant Readers If you’re having trouble getting your high school students to read and improve their reading skills, I would highly recommend the book, I Read It, but I Don't Get It: Comprehension Strategies for Adol... |
| A HyperStudio Book Report Project Here's a tip that invovles interdisciplary lessons around the reading of one book. Learn more about Ms. Thatcher's "HyperStudio Book Report Project" and how it works for her. |
| A Left-Handed Solution Have you grown tired of left-handed students smudging your overhead transparencies? Or maybe you’re lefty yourself, who’s grown tired of going home with ink-stained hands. Here’s an easy way to “keep it clean” when using the overhead. |
| A Magic Solution Dry erase boards can actually be difficult to erase. According to this educator, there is a solcution, and it's "Magic". |
| A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words Ms. Kast takes photos of her students throughout the year and uses the pictures to measure their progress. Read about how each student mounts the pictures and writes their descriptions, memories and reactions about each photo in the yearbook. |
| A Purpose to Read Through a service learning grant, this educator was able to foster the love of reading for her students after shool hours. See how this tip can enrich your community! |
| A Variety of Uses for Seating Charts Checking daily attendance, recording homework, monitoring participation, and documenting student behavior just got esier for this educator. Check out her tip and make it work for you! |
| A Very Bright Idea Ms. Isaacs recognizes bright ideas in her classroom literally. Read about how she acknowledges students who think in a new way or have a bright idea that allows the class to see things in a new light. |
| Writing Assignments Focus on Correction Areas Check out Ms. Lowe's tip that not only chrinicles her students' writing progress, but also has become a favorite project for her learners and their parents! |
| Absence Notebooks This unique tip can help your students stay organized and responsible for work following an absence. See how this educator makes it happen. |
| Absent Bags Ms. Penna gives her secondary students a “gift” when they return to school after an absence. Read how these presents keep her students from missing assignments. |
| Absent Planner Ms. Thomas uses this tip to keep her absent students' work on track. Read about how you can make her tip work for you! |
| Absent Students I Here's how Ms. Jirik keeps track of which students need handouts and assignments afger an abscence. |
| Absent Students II Read about Mr. Ellefson's unique way to make sure that absent students get their assignments while promoting community service inside his classroom. |
| Absolute Deadlines Ms. Steinberg uses her own deadlines to foster better student performance. See how this time-saving tip can work for you! |
| Abused Privileges Need to get a handle on students who are constantly asking for hall passes? Ms. Romo's tip can help you get the "abusers" to reduce their repeated requests. |
| Accidental Art It's no accident that this is a very creative tip. See how Ms. Snavely's young artists learn about unity and variety while making masterpieces! |
| Accommodating Blind Students Ms. Ostwald is the parent of a vision-impaired child. Read her thoughtful tips about accommodaating blind children with hands-on lessons and other ways to learn - dispite their disability. |
| Accurate Lunch Count What a creative way to keep an accurate lunch count every day. See how Ms Musa's tip can save you some time when things get hectic. |
| Acquiring Classroom Books Ms. Dewitt lends some great advice for ELL teachers with this tip: she what she advises for assessing student comprehension as well as phrasing and fluency in English and Spanish. |
| Active Listening to Prevent Conflict This art teacher keeps classroom conflicts from escalating out of control through active listening and other classroom management strategies. Learn how she avoids defensive behavior and remains calm and in control. |
| Activity Bags Art teachers: can something that might be in your kitchen cabinet at home help keep your classroom organized while teaching your students responsibility? Check out Ms. Mayton's tip and find out! |
| Acts of Kindness Students write about the good deeds of others. |
| Adaptations For Deaf/Blind Students What a wonderful way of giving a deaf or blind student accessibility, comfort, and confidence in the classroom and the lessons being taght. Read about what works for Ms. Baumfalk and see if you can integrate her meanigful advice at your school.. |
| Adding Machine Scrolls Ms. Keohane’s students compete to see who can identify the most instances of words from a weekly list: nouns, adjectives, multi-syllabic words -- the list varies. Most interesting is the adding machine tape. |
| Address Labels Make Good Stickers Before you throw away all of those address labels from non-profit organizations, check out Ms. Sherman's tip. Your would-be trash could be come a classroom treasure. |
| Adjustable Seating Chart The power of the Post-it Note! See how Ms. Westphal's unique tip can help you track absences, grading and student work. |
| Adopt a Hallway This tip from Ms. Partridge is a unique way to build students' respect for school cleanlliness while teaching them the value of voluteerism and service. |
| Adopt-a-Book... Plus! Ms. Wargo has a creative way to get students intrested her school's media center. See what she recycles to keep kids enthusiastic about reading. |
| Adventures with Freddie Here's a creative tip to help foster creative thinking, writing, and geography skills for younger learners. And, according to Ms. Brock, students love this activity! |
| Advertising Books with Posters Find out how Ms. Flowers helped students create a school-wide advertising campaign for reading. The whole school got involved, and the hallways and her class bulletin board look all the better for it. |
| Advice for Asperger's Ms. Watterson says with these tips, she has learned more from her students with autism than they have ever learned from her. |
| African American Artists For Black History Month or all year 'round: a meaningful tip that taps students' creativity while they learn about African American history, art, socail studies, and a world of other cross-curricular possibilities |
| After Class Referral Mr. Harris has a great tip for writing discipline referrals that saves time for everyone invovled while maximizing the effectiveness of the referral. |
| After Holiday Sales Ms. Bergman has creative ideas for using holiday leftovers (ribbons and bows, party favors, etc.) and inexpensive sale items in her classroom long after the holidays are over. |
| After School Video Experience Pop the pop corn, relax, and check out this advice forsSocial studes and history students to keep learning after the school day is done with this tip from Ms. Priest. |
| Agenda Books Interactivity with parents without using technology! See how this tip con help you create a productive rapport with parents and foster community involvement as well. |
| Alarming Time Management It's something nearly every teacher needs: more time. If you've got the same wish, this unique tip to manage your classroom schedule might be be music to your ears! |
| Alley Cat Directions Mr. Szewczyk's tip incorpoartes the novelty of learning through music and movement - a unique way to learn that also might help with restless, fidgety students. |
| Alternative Rewards Ms. Wintermute has a system for rewarding students in which they earn tickets they can trade for coupons. |
| Alumni Comments If you have former students who return to pay a visit, this tip can turn your reunion into a teachable moment. See how Ms. May makes it happen! |
| Amazing Adjectives Ms. Hudnall has a great tip for teaching adjectives while giving students a chance to dance and sing! See how this top might be music to your ears! |
| An Organized Desk Ms. Reynolds has a great suggestion for organizing your paperwork. Her technique for color-coding file folders will make them easy to find, even when scattered around and hidden under other papers. |
| Analog Time Ms. Bruckner has both an analog and a digital clock in her classroom, so teaching students to read the analog clock is a challenge. She uses a simple activity to help her digital-minded students master analog time down to the minute. |
| Animal Introductions Back to school fun! This tip from Ms. Uhlman can help students - and you - get to know each other. |
| Another Thought on Buddy Sticks Buddy sticks are a great way to partner students for activites, but this tip from Ms. Harris creates a new lesson before the activity even begins! |
| Answers in Red Ms. Alphin’s routine for grading homework also serves as great quiz and test preparation. It’s a simple but very effective strategy that works well with all of her students – even her most intractable learners. |
| Answers on Overhead Ms. Edge uses an overhead projector as part of her routine for reviewing tests and quizzes. Find out what students are doing while she uses the overhead that reinforces their learning, saves her time, and facilitates communication with parents. |
| Answer to Teacher Interruptions Ms. Johnson read a book writen by educators that outlines specific instructions to help you curb classroom interruptions. Read about the book she discovered! |
| Appropriate Feedback Ms. May’s students learn to make positive comments and give constructive criticism when analyzing their peer’s work. Read about how she models appropriate feedback for her students and makes use of her unique Glow and Grow worksheets. |
| Appropriate Talking Times Talkative students can be a challenge to running your classroom, but Ms. Duvall's tip might help you curb the chatter and creat an eefective learning environment. |
| Arranging Desks Lori configures her classroom in such a way that her back is never turned. Whether students are working as individuals or in small or large groups, she is always able to make eye contact with every student. |
| Art Club Ms. Talbott offers a creative tip for art class that invites students' help in crafting a curriculum as well as enliting parents' help! |
| Artistic Careers Artists don’t have to starve, and Ms. Shortridge makes sure her art students know it. Read how she connects her lessons to the real world and introduces students to artistic professions that pay. |
| Assigned Weekly Monitors See how Ms. Epstein keeps track of student helpers' assignments while cutting down on the 'pick me! pick me!' clamoring from her most eager helpers. |
| Assigning Seats Ms. Zerbe has a great back to school tip for getting to know student names as well as setting the tone for respect for the classroom setup. |
| Assigning Student Numbers Keeping up with school supplies, calculators, books, etc. can be daunting. See how Ms. Travis's tip for not only keeping track of supplies but also instilling responsibility in her students. |
| Assignment Board What teacher doesn't want to be able to track students' work effectively while saving time? Ms. Clark's tip can help you do both! |
| Assignment Booklets Ms. Kinyon has shares a great tip for tracking assignments that that keeps her students and parents on the same page -- literally. Read about her "Assignment Booklets". |
| Assignment Books Ms. Frey has a great tip for tracking student work and keeping in close contact with parents. Read about her "Assignment Books" to see of her advice can help you! |
| Assignment E-mail Getting parents to stay on top of student work at home would be a dream for any teacher, right? See what Ms. Mitchell does every Friday to help make it happen! |
| Assignment Highlights Through force of habit, and thanks to a nifty little procedure he implemented, Ms. White’s students always remember to write their names on their papers. Learn how to highlight this good habit your classroom too. |
| Assignment Notebooks Ms. Levy's tip not only helps her track students' daily work and communicate with parents, but it also serves as a record of student history and progress for the year. |
| Assignment Notebooks Here's a tip that can help enhance parent-teacher communicaton as well as help your students turn in homework on a timely basis. |
| Assignment Schedule Ms. Mast has a great way to use that gigantic desk calendar that's too big for your overloaded desk. See how she uses it in her daily routine to track student work and keep everyone up-to-date |
| Assignment Sheets Do you remember what you did in the second half of third period four days ago? Do your students? To avoid memory lapse, Ms. Coppenbarger shares how she tracks and posts daily assignments so absent students catch up quickly and everyone stays on track. |
| Assignments at a Glance This tip is a timesaver for you and a way for students to get missed work assignments with ease. Read about Ms. Wood's idea and see if it can work for you! |
| Attendance and Lunch at a Glance Ms. Kelley's tip is a real time-saver for her, and all it takes is a package of Push-Pins! Check out her tip to see if you can make it work in your classroom! |
| Attendance Pictures Imagine lunch count and attendance taken care of right away, without any time taken from the morning? It's not a dream, it's Ms. Bracker's unique tip - see how you can make it work for you! |
| Avoiding Transparency Ghosts Do you end up throwing away permanent transparencies because you can’t fully erase temporary markings? Here’s a tips for avoiding the ghostly traces of used markers. |
| Awesome Noise Control When screaming "Shut up!" didn't work anymore, Ms. Allen's created ths very awesome way to lower the noise levels in her fourth-grade classroom. |
