Foreign Language Lesson Plans: Immersing Students in New Cultures

Teaching a foreign language is an exciting opportunity to guide students through the communication methods of other countries. But as all language teachers know, some of the most important language class lessons extend far beyond grammar. In fact, one of the most important elements of foreign language lesson plans is ...

Self-Directed Learning: How Students Can Create Their Own Lesson Plans

Today’s students have more control over their learning than previous generations. With the internet, school-aged children can easily research and find answers to questions about any topic that piques their interest.  As a result, more teachers are embracing student-directed learning, an instructional strategy where students decide not only what they’ll learn, ...

Social Media Lesson Plans: How To Use Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook in the Classroom

Social media is an inextricable aspect of today’s student experience. Whether they’re sharing photos on Instagram or Snapchat, social media is a constant element that’s here to stay. For teachers, this can sometimes be disruptive — especially if students aren’t focusing like they should.  However, creating social media lesson plans is ...

History Lesson Plans: Tips for Engaging Students in the Past

History is an interesting and exciting subject to teach. It can be somewhat overwhelming too. After all, there are many hundreds of years worth of content to cover in addition to fascinating people, places and events. Having a solid base of lesson plan options can make teaching history more manageable. It ...

Digital Device Rules: Classroom Guidelines for Balanced Tech Use

Technology tools have transformed the way students learn and demonstrate knowledge. Whether writing an essay or researching a history project, devices can make ordinary assignments more interesting and efficient. However, there’s no doubt that digital tools can be distracting for students of all ages. Laptops, smartphones and tablets all have a ...

How To Teach Climate Change Without Panicking Your Students

Climate change is one of the most important challenges faced by current and future generations. According to an NPR poll, 86 percent of teachers believe that climate change should be taught, but only 42 percent of teachers actually teach it. Most say they don’t teach about climate change because it’s ...

Science Lesson Plans: Fun Experiments and Activities for Learning

Science is a far-reaching subject, covering everything from biology and the animal kingdom to weather and constellations. Regardless of the grade you teach, it’s important to have a collection of science lesson plans available for each unit.  Creating a library of exciting lesson plans can give you greater choice for personalizing ...

Self-Regulation: Helping Students Cope with School Stress and Anxiety

Stress and emotional management skills are some of the most important, yet least discussed elements of the teacher toolkit. Today’s students are faced with increasing pressure to perform better and achieve more. This, coupled with the unrealistic comparisons fed by social media, can make students feel stressed, anxious and like ...

How To Set Your Students Up for Success With Morning Meetings and Greetings

Morning meetings aren’t as common in the classroom as they are in the office, but perhaps they should be. Many young students come to school feeling stress, anxiety or other emotions that may prevent them from fully participating.  Incorporating a morning routine can help foster social connection and empathy while calming ...