Simplified Instruction
54 Followers
North Carolina, United States
About the store
I first started teaching as a long term sub...I was on a cart and taught classes on two different floors. Every day I went home with a pit in my stomach because I had no idea what I was going to teach each day.
The following school year I got a full time position teaching middle school social studies. My new job also came with an incredible team of teachers to share and collaborate with. With the mentorship of more seasoned teachers, my instruction slowly improved each year. I went from relying on powerpoints and notes to embracing more activity, project, and discussion based learning. My focus in planning shifted from "what am I doing tomorrow?!!!" to "let's start with the big picture, then make the plan more detailed week by week." My assessments became more intentional and varied instead of last minute tests thrown together at 10pm the day before.
Growing as a teacher takes time, collaboration, access to strong educators, and, most of all, patience with yourself. I am so appreciative of those who have played a role in my teaching career, and I'm excited to share my learning and instructional practices with all of you!
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Starter Kit for Middle School Newspaper, Part 1 (editable version included!)
Starting a middle school newspaper was a daunting task; I wasn’t quite sure where to begin! As with anything in teaching, I started by determining my goals, establishing what our writing/publishing procedure would look like, and choosing daily and weekly rhythms to move my journalism group in the right direction. This template I came up with was essential for creating structure while giving students ownership over the process. I also created a S tarter Kit for Middle School Newspaper, Part 2, w
6th - 9th
Social Studies, Writing
CCSS, VA SOL
W.7.1
, W.7.1b
, W.7.1e
+23
Create a 28th Amendment Simulation (includes editable version)
About This Lesson In this lesson, students will get the opportunity to participate in a simulation where they’ll create, then try to pass a Constitutional Amendment. It works best when done after students have learned the process of how Amendments are passed. Learning objectives/Essential QuestionsExplain how Amendments are passed.Understand the complexity of the Amendment-passing process and explain why the authors of U.S. Constitution would have made this so difficult to do (i.e. it is our gov
8th - 11th
Government, Social Studies
CCSS
CCRA.SL.3
, CCRA.SL.4
, RH.9-10.6
+5
Also included in: Bill of Rights & Constitutional Amendments (GROWING!) Bundle (editable)
Nonfiction Text Structure Anchor Charts + Fiction Summarizing Anchor Chart
RESOURCE INCLUDES AN ANCHOR CHART FOR EACH TEXT STRUCTURE:DescriptionMultiple causes and one effectOne cause and multiple effectsProblem solutionSequenceCompare and contrastArgumentative Summarizing fiction Sentence stems for summarizing a fiction textAll papers will print out in an 11 x 8.5 format. I printed mine out on white card stock and on colored card stock and posted them up in two different places in my classroom. We referenced them regularly when reading both fiction and nonfiction tex
5th - 8th
English Language Arts, Social Studies
Primary & Secondary Sources with Investigative Scenarios and 9/11 Case Study
WHAT’S INCLUDED:Two handouts where students analyze scenarios and determine the best sources to use to learn more about an event + explanation about primary and secondary sourcesUse 9/11 as a case study to understanding how primary and secondary sources help us to build understanding of an eventA link to an editable document in Google Drive so you can customize the lesson to fit the needs of your students! ABOUT THE LESSON:This lesson gives students some background knowledge about primary and se
7th - 9th
Government, Social Studies
Also included in: Introduction to Modern World History: Bundled Mini-Unit!
Writing a Newspaper Article Based on a Literature or Nonfiction Text (editable!)
Are you looking for a great activity that will help students dig into a text at a deeper level, while also working on writing and communication skills? This is a great activity that will wrap up a novel study, the study of a text set, or all the texts students read during a quarter. Very adaptable lesson that can be used more than once! During this assignment, students will work on the following skills:Summarizing an event from a fiction or nonfiction text.Thinking critically about an event tha
7th - 10th
English Language Arts
CCSS
RL.7.1
, RL.7.3
, RL.7.4
+16
Mini Debates: Structured Academic Controversy
This is a great way to synthesize learning on a topic and get students engaged! Sometimes classroom debates can be a little intimidating, but this process is structured and easy for students to follow as you guide them through it. This strategy can be used in a variety of ways in any content area. For ELA teachers, it could be a great addition to a persuasive or argumentative writing unit. For social studies or science teachers, it could create an opportunity for students to examine a variety of
7th - 10th
English Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
CCSS
RI.8.1
, RI.8.3
, CCRA.SL.1
+5
Bill of Rights Bracket: May the Best Right Win! (editable version included!)
What better way to learn about the Bill of Rights than through some...academic disagreement! This bracket activity gets kids discussing, arguing, passionate, and really thinking about what their rights "look like" in the real world. This lesson is best done after students have learned about each of the 10 Amendments. The purpose of this activity is to get students to critically think about how these rights impact their lives and what would happen if they did not have a particular right. They’ll
6th - 9th
Government, Social Studies
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
, RH.6-8.6
, RH.6-8.8
Also included in: Bill of Rights & Constitutional Amendments (GROWING!) Bundle (editable)
Creating a Newspaper Article For Any Social Studies Unit (editable!)
It's so hard to cover everything in history...something always gets left out. This is a great opportunity for students to dive deeper into a topic, person, or event that interests them, and it's great for incorporating writing into the social studies content. Skills students will develop:Summarizing a current or historical event.Thinking critically about the event, analyzing different perspectives on this event, and determining the best way to present that information to their audience.Determin
6th - 9th
Creative Writing, Government, Social Studies
CCSS
RH.6-8.1
, RH.6-8.2
, RH.6-8.3
+2
104 Questions to Help You Grow as a Teacher
The story behind this resource:This is a great resource for new, prospective, and overwhelmed teachers, as well as administrators, academic coaches, education professors, mentor teachers, and anyone else who works with new teachers! When I graduated college, I felt confident in my teaching abilities. I knew that middle school students needed boundaries and procedures, feedback was an essential component of student growth, and engaging lessons would prevent negative behaviors. In short, I had a l
Adult Education
How To Implement the Interactive Student Notebook with Rigor and Depth
If you're feeling a little...overwhelmed, intimidated, or frustrated with the Interactive Notebook...OR...if you are looking at all these beautiful pictures of interactive notebooks online and you're thinking "I give up!!" STOP right there! I've got you covered. I have created this resource just. for. you. After teaching for seven years, something happened that I hadn’t anticipated...I fell in LOVE with the Interactive Student Notebook (ISN). I tried to use this educational tool early on in m
6th - 12th
English Language Arts, Social Studies
Certificates For Any Occassion
A simple certificate template designed for any classroom. Edit digitally to fit your needs! Can be used for any awards at the middle school level. Print it out in color or print it black and white on brightly colored card stock! Link to digital/editable Google Slides included.
6th - 8th
For All Subjects
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About the store
Experience
I first started teaching as a long term sub...I was on a cart and taught classes on two different floors. Every day I went home with a pit in my stomach because I had no idea what I was going to teach each day.
The following school year I got a full time position teaching middle school social studies. My new job also came with an incredible team of teachers to share and collaborate with. With the mentorship of more seasoned teachers, my instruction slowly improved each year. I went from relying on powerpoints and notes to embracing more activity, project, and discussion based learning. My focus in planning shifted from "what am I doing tomorrow?!!!" to "let's start with the big picture, then make the plan more detailed week by week." My assessments became more intentional and varied instead of last minute tests thrown together at 10pm the day before.
Growing as a teacher takes time, collaboration, access to strong educators, and, most of all, patience with yourself. I am so appreciative of those who have played a role in my teaching career, and I'm excited to share my learning and instructional practices with all of you!
Teaching style
student-centered
Awards & shining teacher moments
Social Studies Department Chair, Team Leader, Chromebook Pilot Team, Professional Learning Community Facilitor
My own education history
Bachelor of History, Social Studies Secondary Education; Master of Education Leadership; ELA grades 6-9; Social Studies 7-12.
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