Well, as you've probably, hopefully, noticed, we haven't blogged for the last couple of weeks. We both got caught up in actually enjoying summer (we even got a short anniversary trip in!) but, I guess it is time to get back to work!
For both of us, getting back to work means looking at our teaching practices - especially during the summer reflection months. My goal is to always inspire my students to learn to their fullest potential. That goal causes me to look at my own education, and unfortunately one of the things I remember most from school is worksheets! Not just, "the day before a holiday worksheet" or "the teacher had a late night worksheet", but stacks and stacks of worksheets. Then, I thought about my best teachers, and I realized that I don't remember worksheets from their classes!
All of this led me to the book, Social Studies Worksheets Don't Build Dendrites, by Marcia L. Tate. I decided to blog a book study (blog study??) about this book. My goal was to read a chapter every two weeks, but after reading the introduction I'm hooked!
She divides the book into 20 instructional strategies that are best practices. I have a feeling that this book may become one of my teaching "bibles", a definite go-to for new ideas! As the summer goes on I'll blog and share the 20 strategies, along with ideas for using them!