Ryan Reeves

(Now includes a PowerPoint version!) This group activity uses a popular student interest, dating, to begin the discussion of the concepts of denotation vs. connotation. The activity combines a whole-group instructional SMARTBoard activity with individual, group, or partner practice. This is an enjoyable way to help the students understand the concepts. Some standardized test practice is included as well as review of using context clues to determine denotation. This has always been a fun and enga

In my 18 years in the classroom so far, one of the biggest challenges is always classroom management. Student behavior is the big unknown every single day, and also that which provides some of the greatest joys and challenges of teaching. This is a 40-slide presentation that discusses classroom management. The fully customizable presentation includes traits of effective classroom management, how to design an effective classroom management plan, and offers specific option on how to effectively ad

This is always one of my students' favorite activities of the entire year. It is a poetry writing activity that could be used as an introduction to a poetry unit, a creative writing unit, or as an object lesson about the power of getting to know your subject/topic. Full lesson plan, assignment handouts, and student examples included. Students are assigned to find and bring a rock. Over the course of the next few days, students "bond" with their rocks by answering questions in their journal about

I don't accept incomplete assignments from my students. For years I would write a personal note at the top of the paper telling the student why the assignment wasn't accepted. The three biggest reasons were that I couldn't read the students' handwriting, they hadn't finished the assignment, or the students didn't put their name on the assignment. Last year I created a template of labels that save me a lot of time. These could be printed on actual adhesive labels, full sheet sticker paper, or reg

This is a beginning of the school year bulletin board idea to help students get excited about the reading for the year. It can be done with any kind of map and I've used actual book covers or pictures of book covers to make it more colorful. The main message is that books help us experience a lot of people, places, and things that we wouldn't otherwise be able to do. Put book covers or titles of books on the board with strings/yarn connecting the book with where on the map the story takes place.