Posts by Brenda Kovich

becoming a great teacher, being a teacher, difficulties teaching, teacher challenge, teaching struggle

The teaching struggle. If you’re a teacher, you know what it’s all about. Every day, when you get up in front of your class, you struggle to make them understand,…

Maximize Teaching to Make Every Moment Count | Effective Instruction

May 9, 2021

incidental vocabulary, interdisciplinary teaching, maximize teaching, review

Maximize teaching with these clever strategies from master teachers. Then, when you get up in front of your students, you’ll be teaching more than just your current lesson. First, make…

Encourage Autonomy in the Classroom | Student-Centered Learning

May 2, 2021

autonomous learner, autonomy, guide on the side, sage on the stage, student-centered learning

How can you promote autonomy in your classroom? First, put kids in the driver’s seat. Establish student-centered learning. Instead of the “sage on the stage,” be the “guide on the…

Improve Your Teaching Mindset | Lift, Don’t Push Kids to Greatness

April 25, 2021

improve teaching, scaffold

To improve your teaching, lift, don’t push. Mediocre teachers push their students through the curriculum. You know – coverage. But great teachers do something different. They scaffold instruction so every…

Teaching Slow Changes to Earth’s Surface | Geology Activities for Kids

April 18, 2021

deposition activities, erosion activities, geology for kids, slow changes to Earth's surface, weathering activities

Engage, Plan, Science

Teach slow changes to Earth’s surface – weathering, erosion, and deposition – with hands-on science experiments. With just a few simple materials, your students will experience these changes firsthand. (more…)

How to Build an Erosion Table (AKA Stream Table)

April 11, 2021

erosion table, geology activities for kids, slow changes to Earth's surface, stream table

Engage, Learn, Science

Need an erosion table for your classroom? Try building this D.I.Y. version. All you need is a package of paint tray liners and an egg carton. (more…)

Teaching Fairy Tales Activities for Kids | An ELA Unit

April 4, 2021

comparing fairy tales, fairy tales, fairy tales activities, fairy tales activities for kids, teaching fairy tales

Engage, English Language Arts, Plan

Fairy tales provide the perfect theme for a complete ELA unit. Sure, you can read and compare them. But you can also pull in informational text, figurative language, poetry, and…

Mythology Lesson Plans – ELA Activities for Middle School Kids

March 28, 2021

Greek myth lesson plans, Greek mythology lesson plans, myth lesson plans, mythology lesson plans, mythology middle school, mythology upper elementary

Engage, English Language Arts, Plan

Looking for a complete set of mythology lesson plans? Try this free set to round out your current unit. As kids read The Lightning Thief, they learn about characters, point of…

Teaching The Lightning Thief – Percy Jackson and the Olympians

March 21, 2021

Mythology Novel Study, Percy Jackson, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Perseus, teaching mythology, The Lightning Thief

Engage, English Language Arts, Plan