Author: Rachel Jerez

Resource Spotlight: Get On Your Feet

Picture three classrooms. In one classroom, students are involved in a lab experiment. In another classroom, students are quietly and individually annotating a novel as they read. In another classroom, students are dancing to... Read More

Resource Spotlight: Scaffolding Socrates

The summer before I started teaching, I had a romanticized vision of class discussion. My dream class looked like my AP English class when I was in 12th grade: we devoured literature and led lively small group discussions, while our... Read More

Resource Spotlight: Active Learning, A La Carte

When I think of professional development, I am hit with a visceral memory from my second year teaching. I had just walked back into my too-cold classroom with a stack of handouts from a PD session. In ten minutes my freshmen were... Read More

Engagement on the Rise

If you were an elementary school kid in the 90’s, you might remember the quiet, strategic thinking needed for an electrifying game of Heads Up, 7 Up!  Head down on the desk with your eyes squeezed shut and one thumb in the air,... Read More

Resource Spotlight: Active Reading Bookmark

Don't Spoil It. Let Them Build Skills! I clicked through the PowerPoint….and wow. Beautiful images. Fun fonts, great colors. Cool slide transitions. All the information seemed to be accurate. And it included a lot: author... Read More