BAG OF TEACHER TRICKS.
When I first started teaching, everybody was all like: You have a metaphorical bag of teacher tricks. It is basically the compendium of all the cool lesson plans that you use to engage students. Don't share with anyone. They'll steal your ideas.... or if you want to share, put them on TpT. AND, whatever, you do you, but I don't have time for all of that. If I have a good idea, someone else uses it, and all around kids learn- it's a win-win in my book. So, here we go, this webpage is about to be a scrapbook-esque-pieced-together representation of my bag of teacher tricks. I created this for my cadet teacher at Hauser this year, but it is really for any younger educator trying to learn the ropes, enhance their pedagogy, and develop their craft.
Step One: Gather the Tools. We are hunter-gatherers.
Here's what you need:
(1) A Teacher Website- Sites, Weebly, Jimdo, SquareSpace, or Wix
(2) A Canva Account- Because it's like virtual scrapbooking. Um, all the yes
(3) Noredink Account- for individualized grammar lessons
(4) Bookmark Slides Carnival- make pretty PowerPoints- aesthetics matter
(5) Get that Screencastify- create a video channel
(6) Consider ZipGrade- these are like electronic scantrons
(7) A Reliable Laptop- it's an investment
(8) A Place of Nonfiction- Gallagher's AOWs or CommonLit.org
(9) AdobeScan- for distance learning & PDF scans
(10) Quizlet- all the digital flashcards & Quizlet Live Sessions
(11) Kahoots- yeah, it's middle school again, but it's also nostalgic for high schoolers
(12) Nearpod for occasional review PPTs or formative assessments
INSPIRATION: CLASSROOM CULTURE
INSPIRATION: WRITING CULTURE.
INSPIRATION: READING CULTURE
INSPIRATION: ALL THE OTHERS
WEEK 1: WEBSITE.
Your school will most likely have a learning management system (LMS)- like we have Canvas. However, it never hurt anyone to have an additional teacher website. Here is why I'm a fan of teacher websites: (1) it doesn't disappear if you transfer to another school; (2) you get more creative freedom when it comes to the design; and (3) you get to fulfill a dream of being a graphic designer. SO, create your website. Make it a reflection of you, a place to document all of your stuff for the end of the year teacher evaluation (bc yeah- we get grades too), and an organized location for students to gather and access resources. First assignment: create a mock teacher website.
WEEK 2: SYLLABUS.
The syllabus is your game plan. It can change, but it's an important springboard. Every syllabus should have the following: (1) a course description, (2) a grading policy, (3) your classroom rules, and (4) your classroom procedures. For secondary English in a traditional, four quarter school, it is also nice to put a visual of the curriculum mapping and the four rigorous curriculum design (RCD) units (revolving the writing standards) that you plan to implement throughout the year.