Cooperative Groups Student Responsibilities and Procedures

Are you looking for a successful classroom management strategy? I was first introduced to this cooperative group strategy 16 years ago when I was completing my student-teaching, and I have used it ever since!  It can be used for any grade level or course of study!

Each quarter my students are assigned teams  and will compete for extra credit points with the other team members. This works very well for classroom management because the students manage themselves! For example, you may decide to take away an extra credit point to a student who is not on task. Because he is losing points for the entire group, his group members will pressure him to get to work. Peer pressure works every time!

The beginning of the Power Point begins with a class discussion about what qualities employers look for in hiring employees. One of the most important qualities is the ability to work cooperatively . Then it reviews student responsibilities and procedures when working with a group and explains how teams can earn and lose points.

Also included in this purchase is a Team Winner Certificate (4 different versions) to be given to the winning team members for the quarter and a Team Point Chart for the teacher to use to keep track of the team points.

So if you want to make your classroom run itself, check this product out by clicking HERE! 

Teach with Movies - The Cold War

Are you looking for a way to keep your history students engaged  -  even when they are not in school? A great way to do this is to have your students watch films related to the current unit of study.  For each unit, I give my students a list of films my students could watch for extra credit. After they view the film they are required to complete a set of questions that will help them connect the movie to the current course of study. Get this FREE worksheet by clicking HERE! 

Below are a list of films I suggest when teaching the Cold War. 

Bridge of Spies
The Killing Fields
Inherit the Wind
Fail Safe
Argo
For Love of Country
A Gentleman's Agreement
Dr. Strangelove
Desert Bloom
The Crucible: 1957 version
Apollo 13 
Hiroshima Maiden
Force More Powerful
Seven Years in Tibet
War and Peace
Truman
Seven Days in May
Sayonara
The Russian's are Coming!
The Right Stuff
October Sky 
October Sky 
Quiz Show 
The Right Stuff 
Born on the Fourth of July 
Letters Home from Vietnam

Are there any films I am missing from this list? Let me know by commenting below! 

Happy Teaching! 

New! Civil Rights Movement Teaching Activities

Are you looking for engaging teaching strategies for the Civil Rights Movement? Here are a few NEW resources I just posted to my TpT store!

Get this FREE Civil Rights Movement Jigsaw! Students will divide up the research and then teach their teammates about their findings!

Click HERE to get this FREE resource!

Here is a fun activity for students to compare and contrast Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X! 

Click HERE to see this resource!

In this activity students can analyze the Civil Rights Bill of 1964. Print or Google Drive!

Click HERE for this resource!

To see all my resources related to the Civil Right's Movement click HERE!

Happy Teaching!

Instructional Teaching Strategies for ANY Classroom

As a master teacher for over 10 years, I make sure my student teachers practice as many instructional strategies as possible during their time with me. I want to make sure they have plenty of "tools" in their "toolbox" to take with them once they complete their student teaching experience. This year I decided to create a document that included a list of diverse and engaging teaching strategies my student teachers could refer to when creating their lesson plans. Recently I uploaded this product to TpT so other teachers (new and veteran) could make use of it too!

 

Instructional Strategies

This purchase includes 70 teaching strategies that could be used in ANY classroom or grade level. This is a must-have whether you are a new or experienced teacher. Free updates for life!

Instructional Strategies Include:
Gain Prior Knowledge Strategies
Debate- Discussion-Oral Language Practice
Check-For-Understanding
Reading Strategies
Writing Strategies
Activities-Projects
Review Strategies

Happy Teaching!

Document Based Questions in the History Classroom

More important in my secondary history class than actually teaching history is teaching my students how to critically think. To have may students "think like historians" is the #1 goal. One of the strategies I consistently use are Document Based Questions,  otherwise known as "DBQ's".

Document Based Questions are either an essay (sometimes even a paragraph), or a series of short-answer questions. Students support their claims by providing evidence from a group of documents - either primary or secondary sources. In my classroom I try to incorporate DBQ's as much a possible. I created this helpful handout for my students that takes them step-by-step through the process of writing a DBQ essay. Get it FREE by clicking HERE!

Here are just a few examples of DBQ's I use in my classroom:

Click HERE!

Click HERE!

Click HERE!

 

Do you use DBQ's in your classroom?

Happy Teaching!

 

Fun Facts About U.S. Presidents

What better day than "President's Day" to write about Presidential fun facts! But first, a little about the holiday itself - President's Day was first established in 1885 in recognition of George Washington's birthday. Actually, it's still officially called "Washington's Birthday" by the Federal Government. It is always celebrated on the third Monday in February.

Now for the fun facts -  Your students might get a kick out of them! 
 
1. The Capital of Liberia was named after President James Monroe. Since Monroe was a big supporter of colonization of Liberia, they decided to name the capital after him.
2. Andrew Jackson taught his Parrot to curse. It actually cursed so much during Jackson's funeral the parrot had to be removed.
3. The phrase "OK" became popular because of President Van Buren. Many of his supporters joined groups called "O.K." clubs, named after the town he was from, "Old Kinderhook" in New York. The term "OK" came to mean "all right".
4. The "S" in Harry S Truman doesn't stand for anything. That's why it doesn't have a period after it.
5. President Bush Sr vomited on the Prime Minister of Japan. Bad sushi?
6. Eisenhower was the only U.S. President to serve in both World War I and World War II.
7. The "Teddy Bear" was named after "Teddy" Roosevelt after a toy company created a stuffed bear in response to Roosevelt refusing to shoot a bear cub.
8. Gerald Ford worked as a model during college.
9. President Kennedy was the first president to be born in the 20th Century and the first Catholic President.
10. Barack Obama's name means, "one who is blessed" in Swahili.

Are you looking for some Presidential teaching activities? Check out these engaging lessons for your secondary classroom:

 Click HERE to see resource

Click HERE to see resource

 

Click HERE to see resource

 

K – W – L Chart Instructional Strategy

One of my favorite instructional strategies is the K-W-L Chart. 

What I Know  –What I want to know – what I Learned

This strategy helps students organize, access, and reflect on learning which increases comprehension and engagement.

• To activate prior knowledge ask, “What do I know?”
• To set purpose ask, “What do I want to know?” 
• To reflect on a new learning ask, “What did I learn?”

I either create a chart for my students or I have my students create their own. Before I teach a unit or topic I will have my students complete the section, "What I Know". This helps me understand what my students already know about the topic. I then have my students complete the section, "What do I want to know?". I usually have my students share their answers with the class. After the unit is over I then have them return back to their chart to complete the section, "What did I learn?". This a great way for you to gain prior knowledge of what your students already know about a topic and also have your students reflect on their own learning. 

Check out 70 more instructional strategies HERE! 

This K-W-L Chart can be found in my product, FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS