We are back (sorry for the year break)! It's Sept and we need to get started! Rebecca and Joe have some great first-day activities (that work any day)!

Rebecca and Joe share some tried and true lessons and activities that work for those end-of-year days when everyone is itching for summer to start!

Solve Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/42siLfeONMloB9InX8eVT9?si=aae56894163e4f3c

Name 5 Activity: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1izf7tEXDijVNqiuXkaXDSo-284ppi_a5?usp=sharing

TedTalk Riddles: https://youtu.be/7yDmGnA8Hw0

Futureme.org

Bridget and Joe are enjoying a cup of java and discussing a favorite among many educators, Dead Poet's Society, starring Robin Williams & Ethan Hawke. Is this movie still relevant? Is William's Mr. Keating a teacher we should be emulating? What can we, as teachers, learn from this movie?

Rebecca and Joe talk about tried and true methods of helping kids recognize good arguments!

Tools to check out:

https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-ethicist

https://www.procon.org/

100 Student Voices: https://www.amazon.com/shop/rebeccadecker/list/LZJTJGUF5W47?ref_=aipsflist_aipsfrebeccadecker

Rebecca and Joe discuss getting rid of the 50-question multiple choice test and what alternatives there are for summative assessments!

Bridget and Joe, both admirers of Fitzgerald's masterpiece, discuss whether or not The Great Gatsby still belongs in the classroom!

Over a delicious cup of java, Bridget and Rebecca talk mentor texts and how to utilize John Green's book of essays in your ELA classroom, including Creative Writing, Memoirs, and College Essays!

Rebecca and Joe, while drinking their coffee, head to social media for teacher questions. The result: a discussion about book clubs, science fiction, and society at large!

Joe and Rebecca are huge fans and advocates for choice reading.  So how do they assess it?

Rebecca and Joe just finished reading The Measure by Nikki Erlick!  They can't get over this book!  But is it good for students?