Mrs. Crowell takes her 2nd and 3rd graders on a nature walk where they use a dichotomous key to identify different species they encounter. This lesson shows a simple way to take students out on a walk and teach them how to identify species, no matter where they are.

Galeet Cohen, 10th Grade Language Arts teacher at Central High in Pennsylvania, believes that adding humor to her interaction is essential. Galeet reminds us that teachers and students spend long days in classrooms, and humor can make it a good time.Ms. Cohen also uses humor to let students know she is aware of what they are doing and prefers her humor approach to strict rules or detention. She shares that sometimes students are "just testing you" and you can easily diffuse a situation calmly and with humor.

In a multi-grade class of fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, students learn to work and communicate in teams. Through projects and a class structure that supports differentiation, Ms. Ehrke is able to keep students challenged and engaged. Her strategies for differentiation and communication can be used in any classroom.

Molly Reed coaches her students through an exploration of garden ecosystems. Students work in groups moving through multiple stations. Ms. Reed also gives advice on adapting this lesson to an in-classroom environment.

Instructional expert Jim Knight visits John Cusick to observe a small groups project and discuss the classroom management techniques he is using. John and Jim discuss structured lessons, giving students respect, and finding the key to unlocking their love of learning.

3rd Grade Reading teacher Katie Bannon from PS 110 in New York explains how she validates student responses with meaningful feedback when their responses are not quite on track. Rather than saying "no, thats not right", she comments on the response and then poses additional questions to guide their thinking. Katie also shares that she focuses on improving her questioning which she says takes practice, and she tries to avoid questions that elicit a yes or no response.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

In this five part series, see all the pieces that come together for guided reading in Jenna Ogiers classroom. Students learn to work independently and rotate through stations, while Ms. Ogier meets with small groups of students and delivers a lesson at their level.

Brigitte Tennis uses the visual aid of spraying water from one point of a triangle to illustrate to her students opposite and adjacent sides. She then beats out a rhythm on drums to teach her students the mnemonic device SOH-CAH-TOA for finding sine, cosine, and tangent.

Music teacher Genein Letford teaches students about similes to the beat of Duke Ellington using story, jazz solos, and improvisations. Filmed at New Academy Canoga Park, CA.

In this 5-minute video a junior high school teacher discusses “Kick Me” a vocabulary lesson where students locate missing words to complete their analogies taped on their classmates’ backs. Students are given 10 to 15 minutes to find the answers so they move efficiently to complete the project.

8th Grade Science teacher Peter Hill from King Middle School in Maine shares a quick strategy tool and strategy he refers to as "word cloud". The "word cloud" is generated by a computer program that takes words from an article and generates a "cloud" with different sizes of words with the size emphasizing the frequency of the word. Mr. Hill uses this as a quick pre-reading activity to increase curiosity and engagement and to have students anticipate what the article or essay is about and what the main idea is. Teachers might also consider a twist to this idea and have student groups create their own word cloud after reading a selected text.11

Kent Treadgold's 7th grade science class uses a hands-on project to learn the abstract concept of density. They measure the mass and volume of different cylinders, create their own computerized spreadsheets for data, and enter the formula to calculate density. By the end of the project, they're able to conclude on their own that density will not change as the shape and size of an object changes, as long as the material it's made of stays the same.

Marie Hartford's class of 5th grade scientists learn about the importance of water quality and its benefits to wildlife and the environment. Within the narrow confines of pH necessary for their tank of red-legged frogs, students use a combination of pond and tap water to keep the tank healthy, using their collected data to make the decision on the proportion between the two.

Every student in Ms. Montgomerys class draws a picture of a monster and then writes a descriptive paragraph about it. Ms. Hoover then connects this class with another via video conference. This new class must now draw pictures based on the descriptions from the first class, who are now very aware of the importance of details in descriptive writing.

Madeline Noonan meets with all of her students individually during writer's workshop. In each conference, she specifically identifies strengths and two goals. Students continue to revise and rewrite throughout the workshop process and build confidence in their writing at the same time.

Lesson Objective: Maximize instruction by adding content into your transitions
Length: 5 min
Questions to Consider: What is the class's daily routine for learning the word of the day? Why does Ms. Noonan have students "sit like a scholar" and wait before she says the word of the day? How does the "Grab Bag Quiz" help with classroom management as students move back to their desks?