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Creating Classroom Success Stories

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Best Secondary Resources for Back-to-School

  Planning for back-to-school just got easier with this carefully curated list of ideas, tips, suggestions, and resources for your secondary classroom - in any subject! 1) Teacher Planning and Organization: Calendars, planners, notes, Oh My! The list goes on and on for what the teacher needs to get organized and feel ready-to-go for the first days of school.  For me, that's my planner and my high-level curriculum map.  In the past it has been hard to find a planner perfectly suitable to the unique schedules of the secondary world, so I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: back to school, backwards planning, classroom decor, Classroom Management, classroom organization, classroom routines, classroom success stories, classroom teaching strategy, classroom theme, daily grammar program, data charts, data portfolio, data story, data tracking, secondary classroom management, secondary classroom organization, secondary classrooms, secondary ELA, secondary english classroom organization, secondary English Teachers Leave a Comment

Interview with a First-Year High School English Teacher

This past semester I had the honor of meeting Megan Ryan, who began her teaching journey in the school where I teach.  My first year was a long time ago ;) -- another place and another time.  So, when the year came to a close, I really wanted to pick her brain.  Learning from each other's experiences -- successes and struggles -- is what makes us grow as teachers. For this blog post, I'm breaking my traditional "fast five" format to bring you Ms. Ryan's responses in her own words; I loved her candor and detail. Meet Ms. Ryan: 1) Describe your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: back to school, classroom success stories, First Year Teacher, secondary classroom management, secondary classrooms, secondary ELA, secondary english classroom organization, secondary English Teachers, teacher ideas, teaching tips Leave a Comment

End-of-Year Reflection: Top Five Classroom Success Stories of 2018

It seems to me that 2018 has been quite the long year... but then again it does feel like I was just rounding the corner of 2018 not too long ago, and here we are already at 2019.  One of the most important things we can do as teachers is reflect, and so that's why I love this annual blog post.  It's been my new year tradition for the past several years (2015, 2016, 2017), and choosing only five moments is always so hard, but here goes: My top five classroom success stories of 2018! This year in review... 1) Read-o-Lution: Reading is the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT prep, Book Clubs for Secondary Classrooms, books, Christmas, Christmas lessons, classroom decor, classroom parties, classroom success stories, classroom teaching strategy, close reading, holiday lessons for high school, informational text articles, Lesson Ideas, Reading Strategies, real world connection, secondary classrooms, secondary ELA, secondary English Teachers, teacher ideas, teaching strategies, teaching tips Leave a Comment

Tips for Grading Essays to Save Time

Aaaaah.  The grading essays burden of the English teacher. It's a very real struggle for sure.  A little while back I did a series on teaching writing, so I'd like to think of this post as an encore to those ideas.  (Get started reading that series here at the first post.)  Below I'm sharing five practical tips for managing the load.- Working Those Deadlines:First is planning time in the writing process to have check points that students submit via Google classroom - or whatever method works for you. Students submit thesis statements, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: classroom success stories, classroom teaching strategy, common core writing, secondary ELA, secondary English Teachers, teacher stress, teaching ideas, teaching strategies, teaching tips, Writing Instruction Leave a Comment

What My Trip to the Magnolia Silos Taught Me About Teaching

My husband and I visited Waco to tour all things Magnolia back in June.  It was an amazing trip -- I love going on trips to new places because I can let my brain relax, and I feel so inspired.  Magnolia was no exception - inspiration is everywhere.  So, I said I can let my brain relax, but what really happens is that it just gets filled up with all kinds of new ideas at every turn because of all the awesomeness around me.  Chip and Jo have truly built an empire that personifies their greeting "Welcome Home."  If you read my previous blog post … [Read more...]

Filed Under: antiques show and tell, best practices, classroom success stories, classroom teaching strategy, secondary classroom management, secondary classrooms, secondary English Teachers, teaching ideas, teaching tips, vintage 2 Comments

What I Learned About Test Prep from My Handgun Permit Class

Last week I took a handgun safety/permit class.  My husband had accidentally let his permit expire, so we decided to take the class together this time around.   I wasn’t super sure it was something I wanted to do, but I accepted the challenge.  While I was taking the class, it dawned on me that I really hadn’t been a student in a really, really long time, so I'm glad that I had this opportunity.  As a result, after the second day of class, which was the performance test, my head was swimming with ideas for this blog post – super fitting for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACT prep, best practices, classroom success stories, teaching ideas, teaching strategies, teaching tips Leave a Comment

5 Ways to Keep Students Tuned-In at the End-of-the-Year

It's getting to be that time of year when things get a little crazy - a little sideways.  Students - and teachers - are starting to tune out!  So hopefully, these ideas will make these end-of-year days less stressful, and more fun. Plus, these 5 ways to keep students tuned-in at the end-of-the-year are all student-centered and standards-based, so the kiddos stay engaged, and your job is easy. Join me for a fun recap of 5 ways to keep students tuned-in this time of year. Perfect for any secondary education classroom.1) Make It … [Read more...]

Filed Under: classroom success stories, Creative English Lessons for Teens, crucible lesson ideas, earth day, end of year, end of year lesson ideas, engaging students, interactive learning, interactive lesson, literature ideas, Middle and High School English Lessons, secondary classrooms, secondary ELA, secondary english classroom organization, secondary English Teachers, secondary lessons, teachers pay teachers, teaching ideas, teaching strategies, teaching tips, the crucible 1 Comment

The Power of “I Don’t Know” – As a Teacher

We’ve all been in that situation where we had something come up and we didn’t know the answer. Or we’ve had the nightmare of feeling like we weren’t prepared with all the answers.  It all feels awkward, uncomfortable, or embarrassing. When I first started teaching, I would have nearly died when I had to admit to students that I didn’t know the answer to something. I’d like to say that I handled those situations with grace instead of stuttering around – or worse, making something up. But, I can’t be certain. I just know I didn’t want to say, “I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: books, Classroom Management, classroom success stories, classroom teaching strategy, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Formula for Classroom Success Series Post #4: How to Make Struggle Productive

I’m back today with the next post in my classroom success series. Today’s topic is the struggle- and we all know the struggle is real.  However, many times the struggle does not always result in a deeper understanding of the essential learning standard or an “ah-ha” moment. Sometimes, the struggle results in frustration, lack of confidence, lack of willingness to stay engaged, behavior problems, or worse, complete shut down for the rest of the day. I’m a believer - cue THE MONKEES here – in the struggle because I know how … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Choices, classroom success stories, Columbine, Menu Boards, Productive Struggle, Rubrics, Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Classroom Management Tips | Series: Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story

Running a successful classroom requires more than just being solid in your content; there are so many aspects that go into it. In this series "Creating Your Own Classroom Success Story," I’m sharing one piece of the formula at a time. The first piece to having a classroom success story is classroom management, and this might just be the hardest part of all. You could be super solid in your content knowledge and have the best lesson plan in the world but struggle with classroom management, and teaching will always be an uphill battle. The … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Classroom Management, classroom success stories, discipline 4 Comments

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2 months ago

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Work days are an important piece of a writing unit Work days are an important piece of a writing unit! See how I “transform”my classroom into a coffee shop and why! Also head over to my blog juliefaulknersblog.com and search “food” to read my latest post about bringing food into the classroom.
Anybody else still have food on the brain?!?! Mayb Anybody else still have food on the brain?!?! Maybe I do - hence this post! Anyway, it is the season of celebrations and end-of-semester finals and more, so bringing food into the classroom is likely on your radar. Check out this NEW post on how to bring food into your classroom with meaning and purpose! Link in bio. ⁠
#faulknersfastfiveblog #faulknersfastfive #teachingtips
Are you going dressy for Thanksgiving or casual? I Are you going dressy for Thanksgiving or casual? I'll be doing casual, but this dress is pretty comfy and was giving #thanksgivingvibes. Instead of my usual cardigan, I snagged this cropped sweater from @tjmaxx. I love being able to bring a summer dress (from @oldnavy) into fall. ⁠
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Dress - #oldnavy⁠
Sweater - #youtothemaxx⁠
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#teacheroutfit #wearitwednesday #teacherstyle #teacherootd #whattheteacherwore #outfitoftheday #fashion #ootd #whatsheworewednesday #fallfit
NEW!!! Thesis Statement Writing Lesson, Complete T NEW!!! Thesis Statement Writing Lesson, Complete Teaching Unit⁠
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Build stronger writers by giving them direct instruction on the piece of their essay that sets it all up for success: the thesis statement. In this no-prep teaching pack, you will find everything you need to teach and practice writing thesis statements.  lINK IN BIO. ⁠
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#teachingenglish #englishteacher #teachingwriting #tpt #teacher #education⁠
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I’ve updated my The Hunger Games movie unit in h I’ve updated my The Hunger Games movie unit in honor of the new Songbird and Snakes movie out this month! DM me for the link.
#teacherreels #teacher #thehungergames
Quick Thanksgiving lesson - DM for the link! #than Quick Thanksgiving lesson - DM for the link! #thanksgiving #blackfriday #tpt #teachersofinstagram #teachertips #teacherreels
I get asked all the time for help and tips for how I get asked all the time for help and tips for how to teach writing, and I never really knew how to answer my colleagues who asked me to pinpoint what I did.  I’ve seen success with my students’ writing in my classroom over time, and I’ve had successful writing scores on standards tests. But what really makes good writing instruction? Where do you even begin? How do inspire students to write… to buy in? So in the past few years, I’ve made a conscious effort to consider my practices and process when it came to writing. What I realized was pretty astounding and simple at the same time.  I hope that by the end of this series (over the next several weeks) that you’ll feel empowered and recharged and ready to tackle all those writing standards. DM me for the link to my blog post or search “planning” on juliefaulknersblog.com. #teachingwriting #teachingliterature #teacherreels #teach
When it comes to teaching writing, you have to tea When it comes to teaching writing, you have to teach the basics.  That means breaking down the parts of an essay and teaching the skill explicitly until they master it. Dm if you’d like the link to this new teaching pack. #teachingwriting #writingteacher #englishteacher #elateacher
One last look at my Halloween Mirror Affirmations One last look at my Halloween Mirror Affirmations before I switch them to Thanksgiving... hopefully sometime this week! Anybody heading into the "eating season" with too much already on their plate, if you know what I mean! ⁠
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Sweater - #discovermaurices⁠
Corduroy Pants - #gap⁠
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#teacheroutfit #wearitwednesday #teacherstyle #teacherootd #whattheteacherwore #outfitoftheday #fashion #ootd #whatsheworewednesday #fallfit #falloutfit
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