Let's discuss class discussion so we can get students engaged, talking, & learning. This episode offers specifics about a multifaceted class discussion program both Cade & Michelle have started using. It's about getting students making connections, asking probing questions, listening to peers, expanding discussion, & celebrating learning milestones -- all in a variety of discussion formats, including digital and in-class. And the best part of all: students self-regulate by tracking their discussion contributions and evaluating them weekly. See www.acrossthehallpodcast.com for Mission: Engage Discussion program overview, student log, and self-evaluation rubric.

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/09/30/ath-6-crafting-communication/

Trying to integrate reading more digital texts into your classroom routine? In this episode, the ATH hosts discuss their favorite digital annotation tools. So if you're a fan of Google Keep, Google Docs, Kami, ThinkPort, or Book Snaps, or if you'd like to learn more about making the switch from paper to screen, there's something here for you.

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/09/05/coming-soon-ath-5-dealing-with-digital-texts/

Want to learn more about makerspaces? Have the makerspace stuff, but not the conceptual framework that drives what to do with it? In this episode, the ATH hosts welcome educator, innovator, and design thinker Dan Ryder to explain his shift to having the maker mindset.

Dan explains what design thinking is all about, then gives examples of how to get started with design thinking and making in the ELA classroom. Dan, author of Intention: Critical Thinking in the Classroom," fields questions and makes clear a topic with which many educators are grappling in order to redesign the way their classrooms work.

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/08/22/ath-4-maker-mindset/

The #CommonLitCraze continues!

After having some technical trouble initiating an interview with CommonLit.org content development director Anna Hodges, we decided to break into two episodes our podcast on this quickly-rising-in-popularity ELA-centered website. And it was worth it because one week could not give CommonLit all the credit it's due.

In this episode, Anna discusses all teachers need to know about getting started with CommonLit in the ELA classroom.

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/08/02/ath-3-commonlit-craze-part-two/

The CommonLit Craze starts here.

If you've not heard of or used CommonLit yet, you can't pass up this episode! With a huge selection of grade-appropriate texts and questions to help students master every literary standard, CommonLit, a free resource for teachers, is becoming every teacher's best friend for differentiating assignments based on reading level, skill-based need, and student interest.

Listen as Cade and Michelle discuss key features and suggested how-tos of CommonLit in the classroom!

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/07/22/episode-2-commonlit-craze/

Looking for a fun way to enhance student voice in your classroom? What you need is Flipgrid.

Whether you're new to Flipgrid or you've already caught Flipgrid Fever, join Cade and Michelle as they interview Joey Taralson, head of engagement at Flipgrid. Joey details what Flipgrid is all about, answers a few questions, and previews what's in store for Flipgrid's future. A staple of Across the Hall, the hosts wrap up the episode by recommending some ways they'd incorporate this great tech tool in the ELA classroom.

Check out the show notes here: http://acrossthehall.edublogs.org/2017/07/17/ath-1-flipgrid-fever/

Before the textbook. Before a binder. Even before Google.

Every teacher’s first resource is a nearby colleague. Join the Across the Hall hosts Cade Somers and Michelle Shelton in their first episode as they discuss what led to them starting a podcast designed to help teachers put into practice the tools they hear about through professional development and their PLNs.